Yahoo Finance UGI (NYSE:UGI) Is Increasing Its Dividend To US$0.36
The board of UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 1st of July to US$0.36. Based on the announced payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 3.2%, which is fairly typical for the industry.
Check out our latest analysis for UGI
UGI's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions
We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. However, UGI's earnings easily cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.
EPS is set to fall by 50.3% over the next 12 months. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could be 42%, which we are pretty comfortable with and we think is feasible on an earnings basis.
UGI Has A Solid Track Record
The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2012, the first annual payment was US$0.69, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$1.44. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 7.6% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination as it provides a nice boost to shareholder returns.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. UGI has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 22% per annum. Earnings have been growing rapidly, and with a low payout ratio we think that the company could turn out to be a great dividend stock.
We Really Like UGI's Dividend
Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. The company is generating plenty of cash, and the earnings also quite easily cover the distributions. 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.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for UGI that investors should take into consideration. 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.