Yahoo Finance Cochlear (ASX:COH) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year
The board of Cochlear Limited (ASX:COH) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of A$1.45 on the 17th of October, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. This takes the annual payment to 1.4% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.
View our latest analysis for Cochlear
Cochlear's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Cochlear'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 35.2% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 51%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from A$2.40 total annually to A$3.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.3% a year over that time. 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.
Cochlear May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend
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. Earnings have grown at around 2.4% a year for the past five years, which isn't massive but still better than seeing them shrink. Growth of 2.4% per annum is not particularly high, which might explain why the company is paying out a higher proportion of earnings. This isn't bad in itself, but unless earnings growth pick up we wouldn't expect dividends to grow either.
In Summary
Overall, this is a reasonable dividend, and it being raised is an added bonus. While the payout ratios are a good sign, we are less enthusiastic about the company's dividend record. The payment isn't stellar, but it could make a decent addition to a dividend portfolio.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 17 analysts we track are forecasting for Cochlear for free with public analyst estimates for the company. 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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