OMV Petrom (BVB:SNP) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year

The board of OMV Petrom S.A. (BVB:SNP) has announced that the dividend on 6th of June will be increased to RON0.034, which will be 10.0% higher than last year. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 7.3%.

Check out our latest analysis for OMV Petrom

OMV Petrom's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. The last dividend was quite easily covered by OMV Petrom's earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 66.0%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 47%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was RON0.018 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was RON0.034. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 6.8% over that duration. We like to see dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. It's encouraging to see OMV Petrom has been growing its earnings per share at 22% a year over the past five years. The company's earnings per share has grown rapidly in recent years, and it has a good balance between reinvesting and paying dividends to shareholders, so we think that OMV Petrom could prove to be a strong dividend payer.

OMV Petrom Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for OMV Petrom that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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.