TClarke plc's (LON:CTO) periodic dividend will be increasing on the 30th of September to £0.0125, with investors receiving 67% more than last year's £0.0075. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 3.1%.

Check out our latest analysis for TClarke

TClarke's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. However, prior to this announcement, TClarke's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 8.7%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 25% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

TClarke Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. The annual payment during the last 10 years was £0.02 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was £0.0485. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 9.3% per annum over that time. 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 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. TClarke has impressed us by growing EPS at 23% 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.

TClarke Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that TClarke is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for TClarke that investors should take into consideration. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.