Yahoo Finance 3i Group (LON:III) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year
3i Group plc (LON:III) will increase its dividend on the 22nd of July to UK£0.27. Based on the announced payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 3.5%, which is fairly typical for the industry.
Check out our latest analysis for 3i Group
3i Group's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. But before making this announcement, 3i Group's earnings quite easily covered the dividend. The business is returning a large chunk of its cash to shareholders, which means it is not being used to grow the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 48.8% over the next year. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 27%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future.
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was UK£0.081 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was UK£0.47. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 19% 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 Looks Likely To Grow
Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. We are encouraged to see that 3i Group has grown earnings per share at 21% 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.
Our Thoughts On 3i Group's Dividend
Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The company hasn't been paying a very consistent dividend over time, despite only paying out a small portion of earnings. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
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. Just as an example, we've come across 3 warning signs for 3i Group you should be aware of, and 2 of them are concerning. Is 3i Group 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.
