The board of Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 30th of January, with investors receiving $0.245 per share. Based on this payment, the dividend yield will be 1.3%, which is fairly typical for the industry.
We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. However, prior to this announcement, Brady's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 12.8%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 21% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
See our latest analysis for Brady
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The dividend has gone from an annual total of $0.80 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of $0.98. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.1% a year over that time. While the consistency in the dividend payments is impressive, we think the relatively slow rate of growth is less attractive.
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. We are encouraged to see that Brady has grown earnings per share at 15% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.
Overall, we think that this is a great income investment, and we think that maintaining the dividend this year may have been a conservative choice. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
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. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Brady that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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.