EQT (STO:EQT) Is Increasing Its Dividend To kr1.20

EQT AB (publ) (STO:EQT) will increase its dividend on the 6th of December to kr1.20. The announced payment will take the dividend yield to 0.5%, which is in line with the average for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for EQT

EQT Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Before making this announcement, EQT was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

The next 12 months is set to see EPS grow by 43.4%. However, if the dividend continues growing along recent trends, it could start putting pressure on the balance sheet with the payout ratio getting very high over the next year.

EQT Doesn't Have A Long Payment History

Looking back, the dividend has been stable, but the company hasn't been paying a dividend for very long so we can't be confident that the dividend will remain stable through all economic environments. Since 2019, the dividend has gone from €0.21 to €0.23. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 6.3% over that duration. Investors will likely want to see a longer track record of growth before making decision to add this to their income portfolio.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. EQT has impressed us by growing EPS at 261% per year over the past five years. Earnings have been growing rapidly, and with a low payout ratio we think that the company could turn out to be a great dividend stock.

EQT 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. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.

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. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for EQT that investors should take into consideration. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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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