Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) Will Pay A Dividend Of $0.4957

The board of Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 15th of January, with investors receiving $0.4957 per share. The dividend yield will be 2.5% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health's Distributions May Be Difficult To Sustain

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Cardinal Health is not generating a profit, but its free cash flows easily cover the dividend, leaving plenty for reinvestment in the business. We generally think that cash flow is more important than accounting measures of profit, so we are fairly comfortable with the dividend at this level.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to rise by 60.6%. We like to see the company moving towards profitability, but this probably won't be enough for it to post positive net income this year. However, the positive cash flow ratio gives us some comfort about the sustainability of the dividend.

Cardinal Health Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $0.86 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $1.98. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 8.7% per annum over that time. Companies like this can be very valuable over the long term, if the decent rate of growth can be maintained.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. However, initial appearances might be deceiving. Cardinal Health's EPS has fallen by approximately 15% per year during the past five years. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.

In Summary

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. The company is generating plenty of cash, but we still think the dividend is a bit high for comfort. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 4 warning signs for Cardinal Health that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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.