Clas Ohlson's (STO:CLAS B) Dividend Will Be Increased To SEK6.50

Clas Ohlson AB (publ) (STO:CLAS B) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 16th of September to SEK6.50. This takes the dividend yield to 6.0%, which shareholders will be pleased with.

See our latest analysis for Clas Ohlson

Clas Ohlson Doesn't Earn Enough To Cover Its Payments

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Before this announcement, Clas Ohlson was paying out 82% of earnings, but a comparatively small 51% of free cash flows. Since the dividend is just paying out cash to shareholders, we care more about the cash payout ratio from which we can see plenty is being left over for reinvestment in the business.

The next 12 months is set to see EPS grow by 8.3%. However, if the dividend continues along recent trends, it could start putting pressure on the balance sheet with the payout ratio reaching 110% over the next year.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2012, the annual payment back then was SEK3.75, compared to the most recent full-year payment of SEK6.75. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.1% a year over that time. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

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. Clas Ohlson hasn't seen much change in its earnings per share over the last five years. There are exceptions, but limited earnings growth and a high payout ratio can signal that a company has reached maturity. When the rate of return on reinvestment opportunities falls below a certain minimum level, companies often elect to pay a larger dividend instead. This is why many mature companies often have larger dividend yields.

Our Thoughts On Clas Ohlson's Dividend

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Clas Ohlson will make a great income stock. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Clas Ohlson that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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