Brunel International (AMS:BRNL) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To €0.45

Brunel International N.V. (AMS:BRNL) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 15th of June to €0.45. This will take the dividend yield from 4.1% to 4.1%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Brunel International

Brunel International's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Before making this announcement, Brunel International was paying out quite a large proportion of both earnings and cash flow, with the dividend being 223% of cash flows. This is certainly a risk factor, as reduced cash flows could force the company to pay a lower dividend.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 20.5%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 51% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least 1 cut in the last 10 years. Since 2012, the first annual payment was €0.40, compared to the most recent full-year payment of €0.45. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 1.2% over that duration. Modest growth in the dividend is good to see, but we think this is offset by historical cuts to the payments. It is hard to live on a dividend income if the company's earnings are not consistent.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. Brunel International has impressed us by growing EPS at 25% per year over the past five years. EPS is growing rapidly, although the company is also paying out a large portion of its profits as dividends. If earnings keep growing, the dividend may be sustainable, but generally we'd prefer to see a fast growing company reinvest in further growth.

Our Thoughts On Brunel International's Dividend

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While the low payout ratio is redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

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. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Brunel International that investors should take into consideration. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.