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Bilfinger SE (ETR:GBF) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 19th of May to €2.40. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 3.3%, which is below the industry average.
While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that Bilfinger's stock price has increased by 49% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.
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Bilfinger's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions
While yield is important, another factor to consider about a company's dividend is whether the current payout levels are feasible. Based on the last payment, Bilfinger was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 41.8%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 35% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
View our latest analysis for Bilfinger
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was €2.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of €2.40. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 1.8% per annum over that time. We're glad to see the dividend has risen, but with a limited rate of growth and fluctuations in the payments the total shareholder return may be limited.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Bilfinger has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 217% per annum. The company's earnings per share has grown rapidly in recent years, and it has a good balance between reinvesting and paying dividends to shareholders, so we think that Bilfinger could prove to be a strong dividend payer.
We Really Like Bilfinger's Dividend
In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.