The board of Patterson Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDCO) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 4th of November, with investors receiving $0.26 per share. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 4.0%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for Patterson Companies

Patterson Companies' Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Based on the last payment, Patterson Companies' earnings were much higher than the dividend, but it wasn't converting those earnings into cash flow. 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.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 14.2% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 47% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Patterson Companies Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from $0.48 total annually to $1.04. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 8.0% over that duration. Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination as it provides a nice boost to shareholder returns.

The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Earnings have grown at around 2.5% a year for the past five years, which isn't massive but still better than seeing them shrink. The company has been growing at a pretty soft 2.5% per annum, and is paying out quite a lot of its earnings to shareholders. While this isn't necessarily a negative, it definitely signals that dividend growth could be constrained in the future unless earnings start to pick up again.

Our Thoughts On Patterson Companies' Dividend

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. While Patterson Companies is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Just as an example, we've come across 3 warning signs for Patterson Companies you should be aware of, and 2 of them are a bit concerning. Is Patterson Companies not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.