Argo Investments' (ASX:ARG) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's

Argo Investments Limited (ASX:ARG) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 16th of September to A$0.17. This takes the annual payment to 3.3% of the current stock price, which is about average for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Argo Investments

Argo Investments Doesn't Earn Enough To Cover Its Payments

We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Before making this announcement, Argo Investments was paying out quite a large proportion of both earnings and cash flow, with the dividend being 163% of cash flows. This is certainly a risk factor, as reduced cash flows could force the company to pay a lower dividend.

Earnings per share could rise by 0.8% over the next year if things go the same way as they have for the last few years. If the dividend continues on its recent course, the payout ratio in 12 months could be 105%, which is a bit high and could start applying pressure to the balance sheet.

Argo Investments Has A Solid Track Record

The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from A$0.26 total annually to A$0.32. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.1% a year over that time. Dividends have grown relatively slowly, which is not great, but some investors may value the relative consistency of the dividend.

The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Unfortunately, Argo Investments' earnings per share has been essentially flat over the past five years, which means the dividend may not be increased each year. Argo Investments' earnings per share has barely grown, which is not ideal - perhaps this is why the company pays out the majority of its earnings to shareholders. This isn't the end of the world, but for investors looking for strong dividend growth they may want to look elsewhere.

Argo Investments' Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. We can't deny that the payments have been very stable, but we are a little bit worried about the very high payout ratio. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Just as an example, we've come across 4 warning signs for Argo Investments you should be aware of, and 2 of them are a bit unpleasant. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield 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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