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HOCHTIEF Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:HOT) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 5th of May to €5.23. This takes the annual payment to 3.3% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.
We've discovered 3 warning signs about HOCHTIEF. View them for free.
HOCHTIEF's Payment Could Potentially Have Solid Earnings Coverage
We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Prior to this announcement, HOCHTIEF's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 11.2%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 49% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
View our latest analysis for HOCHTIEF
Dividend Volatility
While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was €1.70 in 2015, and the most recent fiscal year payment was €5.23. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 12% per annum over that time. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.
The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. In the last five years, HOCHTIEF's earnings per share has shrunk at approximately 3.0% per annum. A modest decline in earnings isn't great, and it makes it quite unlikely that the dividend will grow in the future unless that trend can be reversed. Earnings are predicted to grow over the next year, but we would remain cautious until a track record of earnings growth is established.
Our Thoughts On HOCHTIEF's Dividend
Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think HOCHTIEF will make a great income stock. The payments haven't been particularly stable and we don't see huge growth potential, but with the dividend well covered by cash flows it could prove to be reliable over the short term. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.
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. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for HOCHTIEF (of which 1 doesn't sit too well with us!) 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.