Delfi (SGX:P34) Is Increasing Its Dividend To S$0.021

Delfi Limited's (SGX:P34) dividend will be increasing to S$0.021 on 13th of May. This takes the dividend yield from 3.9% to 4.6%, which shareholders will be pleased with.

Check out our latest analysis for Delfi

Delfi's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Based on the last payment, Delfi was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 8.0% over the next year. If recent patterns in the dividend continue, we could see the payout ratio reaching 89% in the next 12 months, which is on the higher end of the range we would say is sustainable.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2012, the first annual payment was US$0.037, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$0.024. This works out to be a decline of approximately 4.5% per year over that time. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.

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. However, Delfi has only grown its earnings per share at 2.3% per annum over the past five years. The company has been growing at a pretty soft 2.3% per annum, and is paying out quite a lot of its earnings to shareholders. While this isn't necessarily a negative, it definitely signals that dividend growth could be constrained in the future unless earnings start to pick up again.

Our Thoughts On Delfi's Dividend

In summary, it's great to see that the company can raise the dividend and keep it in a sustainable range. While the payout ratios are a good sign, we are less enthusiastic about the company's dividend record. Taking all of this into consideration, the dividend looks viable moving forward, but investors should be mindful that the company has pushed the boundaries of sustainability in the past and may do so again.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Delfi that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Is Delfi 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.