Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ:WERN) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of $0.14

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WERN) will pay a dividend of $0.14 on the 17th of July. This means that the annual payment will be 1.6% of the current stock price, which is in line with the average for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Werner Enterprises

Werner Enterprises' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. Based on the last payment, Werner Enterprises' earnings were much higher than the dividend, but it wasn't converting those earnings into cash flow. Since a dividend means the company is paying out cash to investors, this could prove to be a problem in the future.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 77.3% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 27% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from $1.70 total annually to $0.56. Dividend payments have fallen sharply, down 67% over that time. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Given that the track record hasn't been stellar, we really want to see earnings per share growing over time. Over the past five years, it looks as though Werner Enterprises' EPS has declined at around 12% a year. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

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. For example, we've picked out 3 warning signs for Werner Enterprises that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Is Werner Enterprises not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.

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