DRDGOLD (NYSE:DRD) Has Announced That Its Dividend Will Be Reduced To ZAR0.1801

DRDGOLD Limited's (NYSE:DRD) dividend is being reduced from last year's payment covering the same period to ZAR0.1801 on the 6th of October. The dividend yield of 6.6% is still a nice boost to shareholder returns, despite the cut.

View our latest analysis for DRDGOLD

DRDGOLD's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, DRDGOLD's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

If the trend of the last few years continues, EPS will grow by 59.8% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 1.9%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2012, the annual payment back then was ZAR1.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ZAR6.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 20% a year over that time. DRDGOLD has grown distributions at a rapid rate despite cutting the dividend at least once in the past. Companies that cut once often cut again, so we would be cautious about buying this stock solely for the dividend income.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. DRDGOLD has impressed us by growing EPS at 60% per year over the past five years. DRDGOLD is clearly able to grow rapidly while still returning cash to shareholders, positioning it to become a strong dividend payer in the future.

We Really Like DRDGOLD's Dividend

It is generally not great to see the dividend being cut, but we don't think this should happen much if at all in the future given that DRDGOLD has the makings of a solid income stock moving forward. By reducing the dividend, pressure will be taken off the balance sheet, which could help the dividend to be consistent in the future. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.

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. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for DRDGOLD (of which 1 is a bit unpleasant!) 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.