John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE:WLY) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.35 per share on the 11th of January. This means the annual payment is 4.2% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.
See our latest analysis for John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons' Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. John Wiley & Sons is not generating a profit, but its free cash flows easily cover the dividend, leaving plenty for reinvestment in the business. This gives us some comfort about the level of the dividend payments.
According to analysts, EPS should be several times higher next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 47%, so there isn't too much pressure on the dividend.
John Wiley & Sons Has A Solid Track Record
The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $0.96 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $1.40. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 3.8% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown relatively slowly, which is not great, but some investors may value the relative consistency of the dividend.
The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential
Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. John Wiley & Sons' EPS has fallen by approximately 26% per year during the past five years. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. Over the next year, however, earnings are actually predicted to rise, but we would still be cautious until a track record of earnings growth can be built.
In Summary
Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. The company is generating plenty of cash, but we still think the dividend is a bit high for comfort. 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. For example, we've picked out 2 warning signs for John Wiley & Sons that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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.
About NYSE:WLY
Average dividend payer and slightly overvalued.
