PACCAR (NASDAQ:PCAR) Has Re-Affirmed Its Dividend Of US$0.34

The board of PACCAR Inc (NASDAQ:PCAR) has announced that it will pay a dividend of US$0.34 per share on the 1st of June. The dividend yield will be 3.4% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for PACCAR

PACCAR's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, PACCAR was paying only paying out a fraction of earnings, but the payment was a massive 214% of cash flows. The business might be trying to strike a balance between returning cash to shareholders and reinvesting back into the business, but this high of a payout ratio could definitely force the dividend to be cut if the company runs into a bit of a tough spot.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 28.8% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 42%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from US$0.72 in 2012 to the most recent annual payment of US$2.86. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 15% over that duration. It is great to see strong growth in the dividend payments, but cuts are concerning as it may indicate the payout policy is too ambitious.

The Dividend Has Growth Potential

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. PACCAR has impressed us by growing EPS at 7.0% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.

Our Thoughts On PACCAR's Dividend

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. 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 identified 2 warning signs for PACCAR (1 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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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.