HNI (NYSE:HNI) Will Pay A Dividend Of $0.32

HNI Corporation's (NYSE:HNI) investors are due to receive a payment of $0.32 per share on 23rd of June. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 4.7%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for HNI

HNI's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. The last dividend was quite comfortably covered by HNI's earnings, but it was a bit tighter on the cash flow front. The business is earning enough to make the dividend feasible, but the cash payout ratio of 79% indicates it is more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 15.0% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 58%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

HNI Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2013, the dividend has gone from $0.96 total annually to $1.28. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 2.9% over that duration. Slow and steady dividend growth might not sound that exciting, but dividends have been stable for ten years, which we think makes this a fairly attractive offer.

The Dividend Has Growth Potential

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. HNI has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 5.9% per annum. Earnings are on the uptrend, and it is only paying a small portion of those earnings to shareholders.

Our Thoughts On HNI's Dividend

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about HNI's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. While HNI is earning enough to cover the dividend, we are generally unimpressed with its future prospects. We don't think HNI is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Just as an example, we've come across 2 warning signs for HNI you should be aware of, and 1 of them shouldn't be ignored. 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.