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Beazley plc's (LON:BEZ) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to $0.25 on 2nd of May. Even though the dividend went up, the yield is still quite low at only 2.8%.
Check out our latest analysis for Beazley
Beazley's Payment Could Potentially Have Solid Earnings Coverage
Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. However, prior to this announcement, Beazley's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
EPS is set to fall by 17.8% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 17%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was $0.413, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $0.32. This works out to be a decline of approximately 2.5% per year over that time. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Beazley has impressed us by growing EPS at 32% per year over the past five years. Earnings have been growing rapidly, and with a low payout ratio we think that the company could turn out to be a great dividend stock.
We Really Like Beazley's Dividend
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Beazley is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. The distributions are easily covered by earnings, and there is plenty of cash being generated as well. We should point out that the earnings are expected to fall over the next 12 months, which won't be a problem if this doesn't become a trend, but could cause some turbulence in the next year. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. To that end, Beazley has 2 warning signs (and 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) we think you should know about. 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.