In This Article:
Phibro Animal Health Corporation (NASDAQ:PAHC) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.12 per share on the 27th of September. This means the annual payment is 3.3% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Phibro Animal Health
Phibro Animal Health's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Phibro Animal Health's earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. In general, we consider cash flow to be more important than earnings, so we would be cautious about relying on the sustainability of this dividend.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 147.9%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 29% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
Phibro Animal Health Is Still Building Its Track Record
Even though the company has been paying a consistent dividend for a while, we would like to see a few more years before we feel comfortable relying on it. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was $0.40, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $0.48. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 2.0% per annum over that time. Modest dividend growth is good to see, especially with the payments being relatively stable. However, the payment history is relatively short and we wouldn't want to rely on this dividend too much.
The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential
Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. Earnings per share has been sinking by 13% over the last five years. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.
The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable
Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. While Phibro Animal Health is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. To that end, Phibro Animal Health has 3 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.