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Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 12th of June to $0.46. This will take the annual payment to 1.1% of the stock price, which is above what most companies in the industry pay.
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Applied Materials' Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions
We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. However, prior to this announcement, Applied Materials' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 45.7%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 17%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
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Applied Materials Has A Solid Track Record
The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $0.40 in 2015, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $1.84. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 16% a year over that time. We can see that payments have shown some very nice upward momentum without faltering, which provides some reassurance that future payments will also be reliable.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Applied Materials has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 21% per annum. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.
Applied Materials Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Applied Materials is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 32 analysts we track are forecasting for Applied Materials for free with public analyst estimates for the company. Is Applied Materials not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.