Yahoo Finance Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To UK£0.48
The board of Imperial Brands PLC (LON:IMB) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 31st of December to UK£0.48. This takes the dividend yield to 8.8%, which shareholders will be pleased with.
View our latest analysis for Imperial Brands
Imperial Brands' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Based on the last payment, Imperial Brands was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.
EPS is set to fall by 38.8% over the next 12 months. However, if the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could reach 76%, meaning that most of the company's earnings are being paid out to shareholders.
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 UK£0.84 in 2011 to the most recent annual payment of UK£1.39. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 5.1% per annum over that time. It's good to see the dividend growing at a decent rate, but the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Imperial Brands might have put its house in order since then, but we remain cautious.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
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. Imperial Brands has impressed us by growing EPS at 36% per year over the past five years. Imperial Brands is clearly able to grow rapidly while still returning cash to shareholders, positioning it to become a strong dividend payer in the future.
Imperial Brands Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. The earnings easily cover the company's distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. However, it is worth noting that the earnings are expected to fall over the next year, which may not change the long term outlook, but could affect the dividend payment in the next 12 months. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
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. Just as an example, we've come across 3 warning signs for Imperial Brands you should be aware of, and 1 of them can't be ignored. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.
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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