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Commonwealth Bank of Australia's (ASX:CBA) investors are due to receive a payment of A$2.25 per share on 28th of March. This takes the annual payment to 2.8% of the current stock price, which unfortunately is below what the industry is paying.
See our latest analysis for Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Commonwealth Bank of Australia's Earnings Will Easily Cover The Distributions
It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia has a long history of paying out dividends, with its current track record at a minimum of 10 years. Taking data from its last earnings report, calculating for the company's payout ratio shows 81%, which means that Commonwealth Bank of Australia would be able to pay its last dividend without pressure on the balance sheet.
Over the next 3 years, EPS is forecast to expand by 11.2%. Analysts estimate the future payout ratio could reach 80% over that same time period, which is on the higher side, but certainly still feasible.
Dividend Volatility
Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of A$3.83 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of A$4.65. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 2.0% per annum over that time. It's encouraging to see some dividend growth, but the dividend has been cut at least once, and the size of the cut would eliminate most of the growth anyway, which makes this less attractive as an income investment.
The Dividend Has Growth Potential
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Commonwealth Bank of Australia has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 5.4% per annum. The payout ratio is very much on the higher end, which could mean that the growth rate will slow down in the future, and that could flow through to the dividend as well.
In Summary
Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The track record isn't great, and the payments are a bit high to be considered sustainable. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Commonwealth Bank of Australia that you should be aware of before investing. 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.