Vesuvius India (NSE:VESUVIUS) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At ₹8.00

The board of Vesuvius India Limited (NSE:VESUVIUS) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 5th of June to ₹8.00. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 0.8%.

Check out our latest analysis for Vesuvius India

Vesuvius India's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. Prior to this announcement, Vesuvius India's earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. With the company not bringing in any cash, paying out to shareholders is bound to become difficult at some point.

EPS is set to fall by 5.2% over the next 12 months if recent trends continue. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could be 26%, which we are pretty comfortable with and we think is feasible on an earnings basis.

Vesuvius India Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The dividend has gone from ₹4.25 in 2012 to the most recent annual payment of ₹8.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 6.5% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination as it provides a nice boost to shareholder returns.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. However, things aren't all that rosy. It's not great to see that Vesuvius India's earnings per share has fallen at approximately 5.2% per year over the past five years. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends.

Our Thoughts On Vesuvius India's Dividend

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Vesuvius India's payments are rock solid. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. To that end, Vesuvius India has 3 warning signs (and 2 which are concerning) we think you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.