Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE:ALLY) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 16th of May to US$0.30. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 2.7%.

View our latest analysis for Ally Financial

Ally Financial's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Based on the last payment, Ally Financial was earning enough to cover the dividend, but free cash flows weren't positive. With the company not bringing in any cash, paying out to shareholders is bound to become difficult at some point.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to fall by 5.8%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could be 17%, which we are pretty comfortable with and we think is feasible on an earnings basis.

Ally Financial Doesn't Have A Long Payment History

It is great to see that Ally Financial has been paying a stable dividend for a number of years now, however we want to be a bit cautious about whether this will remain true through a full economic cycle. The dividend has gone from US$0.32 in 2016 to the most recent annual payment of US$1.20. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 25% per annum over that time. We're not overly excited about the relatively short history of dividend payments, however the dividend is growing at a nice rate and we might take a closer look.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. We are encouraged to see that Ally Financial has grown earnings per share at 31% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.

In Summary

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Ally Financial will make a great income stock. While the low payout ratio is redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, Ally Financial has 3 warning signs (and 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) we think you should know about. Is Ally Financial not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.