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Hilton Food Group's (LON:HFG) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year

The board of Hilton Food Group plc (LON:HFG) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 3rd of December to UK£0.082. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 2.3%.

See our latest analysis for Hilton Food Group

Hilton Food Group's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. The last payment was quite easily covered by earnings, but it made up 98% of cash flows. The company might be more focused on returning cash to shareholders, but paying out this much of its cash flow could expose the dividend to being cut in the future.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 15.9%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 57% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

Hilton Food Group Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2011, the dividend has gone from UK£0.10 to UK£0.27. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 10% a year over that time. We can see that payments have shown some very nice upward momentum without faltering, which provides some reassurance that future payments will also be reliable.

We Could See Hilton Food Group's Dividend Growing

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Hilton Food Group has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 7.9% per annum. The lack of cash flows does make us a bit cautious though, especially when it comes to the future of the dividend.

In Summary

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Hilton Food Group's payments are rock solid. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for Hilton Food Group that investors should take into consideration. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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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