Hackett Group (NASDAQ:HCKT) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of US$0.10

The board of The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCKT) has announced that it will pay a dividend of US$0.10 per share on the 8th of October. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 2.0%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Hackett Group

Hackett Group's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Based on the last payment, Hackett Group was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 41.0% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 45% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Hackett Group Is Still Building Its Track Record

The dividend's track record has been pretty solid, but with only 9 years of history we want to see a few more years of history before making any solid conclusions. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from US$0.10 to US$0.40. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 17% per annum over that time. Hackett Group has been growing its dividend quite rapidly, which is exciting. However, the short payment history makes us question whether this performance will persist across a full market cycle.

Hackett Group May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. However, Hackett Group has only grown its earnings per share at 4.3% per annum over the past five years. Hackett Group is struggling to find viable investments, so it is returning more to shareholders. This could mean the dividend doesn't have the growth potential we look for going into the future.

In Summary

In summary, we are pleased with the dividend remaining consistent, and we think there is a good chance of this continuing in the future. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company's dividend track record isn't stellar. Taking all of this into consideration, the dividend looks viable moving forward, but investors should be mindful that the company has pushed the boundaries of sustainability in the past and may do so again.

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. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Hackett Group that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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