The board of CropEnergies AG (ETR:CE2) has announced that the dividend on 14th of July will be increased to €0.60, which will be 33% higher than last year's payment of €0.45 which covered the same period. This makes the dividend yield 3.9%, which is above the industry average.
View our latest analysis for CropEnergies
CropEnergies' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. However, CropEnergies' earnings easily cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 38.1% over the next year. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 45%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future.
Dividend Volatility
Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of €0.18 in 2013 to the most recent total annual payment of €0.45. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.6% a year over that time. We like to see dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. CropEnergies has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 23% per annum. 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.
CropEnergies Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. The distributions are easily covered by earnings, and there is plenty of cash being generated as well. If earnings do fall over the next 12 months, the dividend could be buffeted a little bit, but we don't think it should cause too much of a problem in the long term. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
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. To that end, CropEnergies has 2 warning signs (and 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) we think you should know about. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.