Yahoo Finance FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of US$0.39
FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) will pay a dividend of US$0.39 on the 1st of December. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 4.2%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.
Check out our latest analysis for FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions
We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Before making this announcement, FirstEnergy was paying out quite a large proportion of both earnings and cash flow, with the dividend being 2,927% of cash flows. Paying out such a high proportion of cash flows can expose the business to needing to cut the dividend if the business runs into some challenges.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 24.8%. Assuming the dividend continues along the course it has been charting recently, our estimates show the payout ratio being 64% which brings it into quite a comfortable range.
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least 1 cut in the last 10 years. Since 2011, the first annual payment was US$2.20, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$1.56. The dividend has shrunk at around 3.4% a year during that period. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.
Dividend Growth Could Be Constrained
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. FirstEnergy has impressed us by growing EPS at 59% per year over the past five years. EPS is growing rapidly, although the company is also paying out a large portion of its profits as dividends. If earnings keep growing, the dividend may be sustainable, but generally we'd prefer to see a fast growing company reinvest in further growth.
The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable
Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. While we generally think the level of distributions are a bit high, we wouldn't rule it out as becoming a good dividend payer in the future as its earnings are growing healthily. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Just as an example, we've come across 2 warning signs for FirstEnergy you should be aware of, and 1 of them can't be ignored. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.
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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