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The board of Arbuthnot Banking Group PLC (LON:ARBB) has announced that it will pay a dividend of £0.29 per share on the 30th of May. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 5.3%.
Arbuthnot Banking Group's Dividend Forecasted To Be Well Covered By Earnings
We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important.
Having distributed dividends for at least 10 years, Arbuthnot Banking Group has a long history of paying out a part of its earnings to shareholders. Based on Arbuthnot Banking Group's last earnings report, the payout ratio is at a decent 32%, meaning that the company is able to pay out its dividend with a bit of room to spare.
Over the next 3 years, EPS is forecast to expand by 14.0%. The future payout ratio could be 35% over that time period, according to analyst estimates, which is a good look for the future of the dividend.
View our latest analysis for Arbuthnot Banking Group
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of £0.26 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of £0.47. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 6.1% over that duration. We like to see dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Arbuthnot Banking Group has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 30% per annum. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.
Arbuthnot Banking Group Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Arbuthnot Banking Group is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Arbuthnot Banking Group that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield 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.