AZZ (NYSE:AZZ) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of US$0.17

The board of AZZ Inc. (NYSE:AZZ) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 3rd of August, with investors receiving US$0.17 per share. This means the dividend yield will be fairly typical at 1.3%.

Check out our latest analysis for AZZ

AZZ's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. Prior to this announcement, AZZ's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 76.5%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 26% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

AZZ Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2011, the first annual payment was US$0.50, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$0.68. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 3.1% per annum over that time. Although we can't deny that the dividend has been remarkably stable in the past, the growth has been pretty muted.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. AZZ's earnings per share has shrunk at 12% a year over the past five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.

Our Thoughts On AZZ's Dividend

In summary, we are pleased with the dividend remaining consistent, and we think there is a good chance of this continuing in the future. The earnings coverage is acceptable for now, but with earnings on the decline we would definitely keep an eye on the payout ratio. The payment isn't stellar, but it could make a decent addition to a dividend portfolio.

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 picked out 1 warning sign for AZZ that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.

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