Yahoo Finance Pan African Resources' (LON:PAF) Dividend Will Be $0.0087
Pan African Resources PLC (LON:PAF) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.0087 per share on the 13th of December. Including this payment, the dividend yield on the stock will be 4.9%, which is a modest boost for shareholders' returns.
See our latest analysis for Pan African Resources
Pan African Resources' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. However, prior to this announcement, Pan African Resources' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 16.7%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 20% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
Pan African Resources' Dividend Has Lacked Consistency
It's comforting to see that Pan African Resources has been paying a dividend for a number of years now, however it has been cut at least once in that time. Due to this, we are a little bit cautious about the dividend consistency over a full economic cycle. Since 2013, the annual payment back then was $0.0132, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $0.0104. The dividend has shrunk at around 2.6% a year during that period. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.
Pan African Resources May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend
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. Earnings has been rising at 3.0% per annum over the last five years, which admittedly is a bit slow. While EPS growth is quite low, Pan African Resources has the option to increase the payout ratio to return more cash to shareholders.
In Summary
In summary, we are pleased with the dividend remaining consistent, and we think there is a good chance of this continuing in the future. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company's dividend track record isn't stellar. 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.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Pan African Resources that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Pan African Resources not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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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