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 of US$0.17 per share on the 8th of February. This payment means that the dividend yield will be 1.3%, which is around the industry average.

View our latest analysis for AZZ

AZZ's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. However, prior to this announcement, AZZ's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 7.9% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 20% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

AZZ Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was US$0.50 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was US$0.68. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 3.1% per annum over that time. While the consistency in the dividend payments is impressive, we think the relatively slow rate of growth is less attractive.

AZZ Could Grow Its Dividend

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. AZZ has impressed us by growing EPS at 5.3% 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.

We Really Like AZZ's Dividend

In summary, it is good to see that the dividend is staying consistent, and we don't think there is any reason to suspect this might change over the medium term. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an 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. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 3 analysts we track are forecasting for AZZ for free with public analyst estimates for the company. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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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.