SpartanNash (NASDAQ:SPTN) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of $0.215

SpartanNash Company (NASDAQ:SPTN) will pay a dividend of $0.215 on the 29th of September. This means the annual payment is 3.8% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for SpartanNash

SpartanNash's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. At the time of the last dividend payment, SpartanNash was paying out a very large proportion of what it was earning and 150% of cash flows. This is certainly a risk factor, as reduced cash flows could force the company to pay a lower dividend.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 126.9% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 34% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

SpartanNash Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2013, the dividend has gone from $0.32 total annually to $0.86. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 10% over that duration. So, dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. SpartanNash has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 21% per annum. EPS is growing rapidly, although the company is also paying out a large portion of its profits as dividends. If earnings keep growing, the dividend may be sustainable, but generally we'd prefer to see a fast growing company reinvest in further growth.

Our Thoughts On SpartanNash's Dividend

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about SpartanNash's 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. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for SpartanNash (of which 1 can't be ignored!) 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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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.