SRF Limited (NSE:SRF) has announced that on 28th of February, it will be paying a dividend of₹3.60, which a reduction from last year's comparable dividend. Based on this payment, the dividend yield will be 0.3%, which is lower than the average for the industry.
Check out our latest analysis for SRF
SRF's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
If it is predictable over a long period, even low dividend yields can be attractive. Prior to this announcement, SRF's earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. In general, we consider cash flow to be more important than earnings, so we would be cautious about relying on the sustainability of this dividend.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 17.2%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 10% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2013, the annual payment back then was ₹2.80, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ₹7.20. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.9% a year over that time. We have seen cuts in the past, so while the growth looks promising we would be a little bit cautious about its track record.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. SRF has impressed us by growing EPS at 36% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.
In Summary
Overall, it's not great to see that the dividend has been cut, but this might be explained by the payments being a bit high previously. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 24 analysts we track are forecasting for SRF for free with public analyst estimates for the company. 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.
About NSEI:SRF
SRF
Manufactures, purchases, and sells technical textiles, chemicals, packaging films, and other polymers.
Flawless balance sheet with reasonable growth potential and pays a dividend.
