Aspen Pharmacare Holdings' (JSE:APN) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's

Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited's (JSE:APN) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to ZAR3.26 on 26th of September. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 2.3%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

View our latest analysis for Aspen Pharmacare Holdings

Aspen Pharmacare Holdings' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. However, prior to this announcement, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 18.6% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 19% 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 2012, the dividend has gone from ZAR1.57 total annually to ZAR3.26. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.6% over that duration. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once.

We Could See Aspen Pharmacare Holdings' Dividend Growing

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Aspen Pharmacare Holdings has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 5.3% per annum. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.

In Summary

Overall, this is a reasonable dividend, and it being raised is an added bonus. The dividend has been at reasonable levels historically, but that hasn't translated into a consistent payment. This looks like it could be a good dividend stock going forward, but we would note that the payout ratio has been at higher levels in the past so it could happen again.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 4 analysts we track are forecasting for Aspen Pharmacare Holdings for free with public analyst estimates for the company. 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.