Mesa Laboratories (NASDAQ:MLAB) Has Announced A Dividend Of $0.16

The board of Mesa Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.16 per share on the 15th of December. This makes the dividend yield 0.9%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

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Mesa Laboratories' Distributions May Be Difficult To Sustain

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Even though Mesa Laboratories isn't generating a profit, it is generating healthy free cash flows that easily cover the dividend. This gives us some comfort about the level of the dividend payments.

Analysts are expecting EPS to grow by 53.8% over the next 12 months. It's encouraging to see things moving in the right direction, but this probably won't be enough for the company to turn a profit. The healthy cash flows are definitely a good sign though, so we wouldn't panic just yet, especially with the earnings growing.

Check out our latest analysis for Mesa Laboratories

Mesa Laboratories Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. There hasn't been much of a change in the dividend over the last 10 years. Although we can't deny that the dividend has been remarkably stable in the past, the growth has been pretty muted.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. However, things aren't all that rosy. Over the past five years, it looks as though Mesa Laboratories' EPS has declined at around 68% a year. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough. On the bright side, earnings are predicted to gain some ground over the next year, but until this turns into a pattern we wouldn't be feeling too comfortable.

Our Thoughts On Mesa Laboratories' Dividend

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. The company has been bring in plenty of cash to cover the dividend, but we don't necessarily think that makes it a great dividend stock. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Without at least some growth in earnings per share over time, the dividend will eventually come under pressure either from competition or inflation. Very few businesses see earnings consistently shrink year after year in perpetuity though, and so it might be worth seeing what the 3 analysts we track are forecasting for the future. 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.