EXEL Industries SA (EPA:EXE) has announced that on 12th of February, it will be paying a dividend of€0.60, which a reduction from last year's comparable dividend. This payment takes the dividend yield to 1.5%, which only provides a modest boost to overall returns.
Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. Before making this announcement, EXEL Industries was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 63.2%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 15% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
View our latest analysis for EXEL Industries
Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was €1.07, compared to the most recent full-year payment of €0.60. Doing the maths, this is a decline of about 5.6% per year. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.
Given that dividend payments have been shrinking like a glacier in a warming world, we need to check if there are some bright spots on the horizon. It's encouraging to see that EXEL Industries has been growing its earnings per share at 9.1% a year over the past five years. With a decent amount of growth and a low payout ratio, we think this bodes well for EXEL Industries' prospects of growing its dividend payments in the future.
Overall, we think that EXEL Industries could be a great option for a dividend investment, although we would have preferred if the dividend wasn't cut this year. Reducing the amount it is paying as a dividend can protect the company's balance sheet, keeping the dividend sustainable for longer. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
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. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for EXEL Industries that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Is EXEL Industries 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.