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Edison International's (NYSE:EIX) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's

The board of Edison International (NYSE:EIX) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of $0.7375 on the 30th of April, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. This makes the dividend yield 4.3%, which is above the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for Edison International

Edison International's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Based on the last payment, earnings were actually smaller than the dividend, and the company was actually spending more cash than it was making. Paying out such a large dividend compared to earnings while also not generating free cash flows is a major warning sign for the sustainability of the dividend as these levels are certainly a bit high.

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According to analysts, EPS should be several times higher next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate that the payout ratio could reach 57%, which is in a comfortable range for us.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

Edison International Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2013, the dividend has gone from $1.30 total annually to $2.95. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 8.5% over that duration. The dividend has been growing very nicely for a number of years, and has given its shareholders some nice income in their portfolios.

Edison International May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. Unfortunately, Edison International's earnings per share has been essentially flat over the past five years, which means the dividend may not be increased each year.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Edison International's payments are rock solid. We can't deny that the payments have been very stable, but we are a little bit worried about the very high payout ratio. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. To that end, Edison International has 4 warning signs (and 2 which are a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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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