SpartanNash (NASDAQ:SPTN) Will Pay A Dividend Of $0.21

SpartanNash Company (NASDAQ:SPTN) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.21 per share on the 30th of September. This makes the dividend yield 2.8%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

See our latest analysis for SpartanNash

SpartanNash's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last dividend, SpartanNash is earning enough to cover the payment, but then it makes up 100% of cash flows. The company might be more focused on returning cash to shareholders, but paying out this much of its cash flow could expose the dividend to being cut in the future.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 52.8% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 33% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

SpartanNash Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The dividend has gone from an annual total of $0.26 in 2012 to the most recent total annual payment of $0.84. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 12% over that duration. It is good to see that there has been strong dividend growth, and that there haven't been any cuts for a long time.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Let's not jump to conclusions as things might not be as good as they appear on the surface. SpartanNash hasn't seen much change in its earnings per share over the last five years.

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 don't think SpartanNash is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

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. As an example, we've identified 3 warning signs for SpartanNash that you should be aware of before investing. 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.