Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) Is Increasing Its Dividend To $0.67

Principal Financial Group, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PFG) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to $0.67 on 20th of December. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 3.8%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. However, prior to this announcement, Principal Financial Group's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 24.7%. 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.

Principal Financial Group 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 $0.92 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $2.60. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 11% per annum over that time. Rapidly growing dividends for a long time is a very valuable feature for an income stock.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. However, initial appearances might be deceiving. It's not great to see that Principal Financial Group's earnings per share has fallen at approximately 5.1% per year over the past five years. A modest decline in earnings isn't great, and it makes it quite unlikely that the dividend will grow in the future unless that trend can be reversed. Earnings are forecast to grow over the next 12 months and if that happens we could still be a little bit cautious until it becomes a pattern.

In Summary

Overall, it's great to see the dividend being raised and that it is still in a sustainable range. While the payments look sustainable for now, earnings have been shrinking so the dividend could come under pressure in the future. This looks like it could be a good dividend stock going forward, but we would note that the payout ratio has been at higher levels in the past so it could happen again.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Principal Financial Group that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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.