Primoris Services (NASDAQ:PRIM) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of US$0.06

Primoris Services Corporation (NASDAQ:PRIM) will pay a dividend of US$0.06 on the 15th of July. This means that the annual payment will be 1.0% of the current stock price, which is in line with the average for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Primoris Services

Primoris Services' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. Prior to this announcement, Primoris Services' earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. We think that cash flows should take priority over earnings, so this is definitely a worry for the dividend going forward.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 18.6% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 10%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Primoris Services Has A Solid Track Record

The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. Since 2012, the first annual payment was US$0.12, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$0.24. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 7.2% per annum over that time. The dividend has been growing very nicely for a number of years, and has given its shareholders some nice income in their portfolios.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Primoris Services has impressed us by growing EPS at 27% 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.

In Summary

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Primoris Services' payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. To that end, Primoris Services has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is significant) we think you should know about. 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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