Yahoo Finance Coterra Energy (NYSE:CTRA) Is Increasing Its Dividend To $0.65
Coterra Energy Inc. (NYSE:CTRA) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 25th of August to $0.65. This will take the annual payment to 9.3% of the stock price, which is above what most companies in the industry pay.
Check out our latest analysis for Coterra Energy
Coterra Energy Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning
Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. However, prior to this announcement, Coterra Energy was quite comfortably covering its dividend with earnings and it was paying more than 75% of its free cash flow to shareholders. However, with more than 75% of free cash flow being paid out to shareholders, future growth could potentially be constrained.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 22.5% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could reach 130%, which could put the dividend under pressure if earnings don't start to improve.
Coterra Energy Has A Solid Track Record
The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from $0.03 total annually to $2.60. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 56% per annum over that time. Rapidly growing dividends for a long time is a very valuable feature for an income stock.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Coterra Energy has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 38% per annum. 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.
An additional note is that the company has been raising capital by issuing stock equal to 99% of shares outstanding in the last 12 months. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective.
In Summary
Overall, it's great to see the dividend being raised and that it is still in a sustainable range. However, lack of cash flows makes us wary of the potential for cuts in the dividend's future, even though the dividend is generally looking okay. Taking all of this into consideration, the dividend looks viable moving forward, but investors should be mindful that the company has pushed the boundaries of sustainability in the past and may do so again.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, Coterra Energy has 4 warning signs (and 2 which are potentially serious) we think you should know about. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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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