Dow's (NYSE:DOW) Dividend Will Be US$0.70

Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) has announced that it will pay a dividend of US$0.70 per share on the 10th of June. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 4.2%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Dow

Dow'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. Before making this announcement, Dow was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 17.0% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 40%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

Dow Doesn't Have A Long Payment History

Looking back, the dividend has been stable, but the company hasn't been paying a dividend for very long so we can't be confident that the dividend will remain stable through all economic environments. The last annual payment of US$2.80 was flat on the first annual payment 3 years ago. We like that the dividend hasn't been shrinking. However we're conscious that the company hasn't got an overly long track record of dividend payments yet, which makes us wary of relying on its dividend income.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Dow has impressed us by growing EPS at 50% per year over the past three years. Rapid earnings growth and a low payout ratio suggest this company has been effectively reinvesting in its business. Should that continue, this company could have a bright future.

Dow Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, we like to see the dividend staying consistent, and we think Dow might even raise payments in the future. The distributions are easily covered by earnings, and there is plenty of cash being generated as well. We should point out that the earnings are expected to fall over the next 12 months, which won't be a problem if this doesn't become a trend, but could cause some turbulence in the next year. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, Dow has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think 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.