Zydus Lifesciences (NSE:ZYDUSLIFE) Will Pay A Smaller Dividend Than Last Year

Zydus Lifesciences Limited's (NSE:ZYDUSLIFE) dividend is being reduced from last year's payment covering the same period to ₹3.00 on the 8th of September. This means that the annual payment is 0.3% of the current stock price, which is lower than what the rest of the industry is paying.

View our latest analysis for Zydus Lifesciences

Zydus Lifesciences' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

If it is predictable over a long period, even low dividend yields can be attractive. However, prior to this announcement, Zydus Lifesciences' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 12.9%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 7.2% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ₹1.50 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of ₹3.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.2% a year over that time. It's good to see the dividend growing at a decent rate, but the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Zydus Lifesciences might have put its house in order since then, but we remain cautious.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Zydus Lifesciences has impressed us by growing EPS at 16% per year over the past five years. With a decent amount of growth and a low payout ratio, we think this bodes well for Zydus Lifesciences' prospects of growing its dividend payments in the future.

Zydus Lifesciences Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

In general, we don't like to see the dividend being cut, especially when the company has such high potential like Zydus Lifesciences does. The cut will allow the company to continue paying out the dividend without putting the balance sheet under pressure, which means that it could remain sustainable for longer. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Zydus Lifesciences that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Zydus Lifesciences not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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