The board of Intermediate Capital Group plc (LON:ICP) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend by 10.0% on the 10th of January to UK£0.19. The announced payment will take the dividend yield to 2.6%, which is in line with the average for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Intermediate Capital Group

Intermediate Capital Group's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Intermediate Capital Group's earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. We think that cash flows should take priority over earnings, so this is definitely a worry for the dividend going forward.

EPS is set to fall by 27.5% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 52%, 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 1 cut in the last 10 years. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was UK£0.24 in 2011, and the most recent fiscal year payment was UK£0.56. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 9.0% per annum over that time. We have seen cuts in the past, so while the growth looks promising we would be a little bit cautious about its track record.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Intermediate Capital Group has impressed us by growing EPS at 25% 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.

Our Thoughts On Intermediate Capital Group's Dividend

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Intermediate Capital Group will make a great income stock. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Intermediate Capital Group (of which 2 can't be ignored!) you should know about. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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.

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