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The board of Sonic Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:SAH) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 15th of July to US$0.25. This takes the annual payment to 1.7% of the current stock price, which unfortunately is below what the industry is paying.
See our latest analysis for Sonic Automotive
Sonic Automotive's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable. However, prior to this announcement, Sonic Automotive's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 5.2%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 8.6% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
Sonic Automotive Has A Solid Track Record
The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from US$0.10 to US$1.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 26% a year over that time. So, dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. We are encouraged to see that Sonic Automotive has grown earnings per share at 41% per year over the past five years. Earnings per share is growing at a solid clip, and the payout ratio is low which we think is an ideal combination in a dividend stock as the company can quite easily raise the dividend in the future.
Sonic Automotive Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Sonic Automotive is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, Sonic Automotive has 3 warning signs (and 2 which are a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
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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.