Yahoo Finance Challenger's (ASX:CGF) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year
Challenger Limited's (ASX:CGF) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to A$0.115 on 21st of September. This takes the annual payment to 3.4% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.
View our latest analysis for Challenger
Challenger's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Challenger's earnings. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 44.6% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 39% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
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 dividend has gone from an annual total of A$0.165 in 2012 to the most recent total annual payment of A$0.23. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 3.4% over that duration. The dividend has seen some fluctuations in the past, so even though the dividend was raised this year, we should remember that it has been cut in the past.
The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. Over the past five years, it looks as though Challenger's EPS has declined at around 12% a year. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.
In Summary
In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Challenger's payments are rock solid. In the past, the payments have been unstable, but over the short term the dividend could be reliable, with the company generating enough cash to cover it. 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. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Challenger that investors should take into consideration. 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.
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