Atea (OB:ATEA) Will Pay A Dividend Of NOK3.50

The board of Atea ASA (OB:ATEA) has announced that it will pay a dividend of NOK3.50 per share on the 26th of November. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 5.0%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

View our latest analysis for Atea

Atea's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. Based on the last payment, the company wasn't making enough to cover what it was paying to shareholders. Without profits and cash flows increasing, it would be difficult for the company to continue paying the dividend at this level.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 65.2%. Assuming the dividend continues along the course it has been charting recently, our estimates show the payout ratio being 62% which brings it into quite a comfortable range.

Atea 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 an annual total of NOK6.00 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of NOK7.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 1.6% over that duration. Dividends have grown relatively slowly, which is not great, but some investors may value the relative consistency of the dividend.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Atea has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 9.4% per annum. While EPS is growing at a decent rate, but future growth could be limited by the amount of earnings being paid out to shareholders.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. In the past the payments have been stable, but we think the company is paying out too much for this to continue for the long term. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic 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 Atea that investors should take into consideration. Is Atea not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.

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