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The board of Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.075 per share on the 5th of October. The dividend yield is 1.4% based on this payment, which is a little bit low compared to the other companies in the industry.
View our latest analysis for Graphic Packaging Holding
Graphic Packaging Holding's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
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, Graphic Packaging Holding was earning enough to cover the dividend, but free cash flows weren't positive. In general, we consider cash flow to be more important than earnings, so we would be cautious about relying on the sustainability of this dividend.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 174.4%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 13% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
Graphic Packaging Holding Doesn't Have A Long Payment History
Graphic Packaging Holding's dividend has been pretty stable for a little while now, but we will continue to be cautious until it has been demonstrated for a few more years. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was $0.20, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $0.30. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 5.2% per annum over that time. Graphic Packaging Holding has a nice track record of dividend growth but we would wait until we see a longer track record before getting too confident.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Graphic Packaging Holding has impressed us by growing EPS at 11% per year over the past five years. Growth in EPS bodes well for the dividend, as does the low payout ratio that the company is currently reporting.
In Summary
Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
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. For example, we've identified 3 warning signs for Graphic Packaging Holding (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.