Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At US$2.80

Lockheed Martin Corporation's (NYSE:LMT) dividend will be increasing to US$2.80 on 27th of December. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 2.9%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. However, prior to this announcement, Lockheed Martin'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.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 4.1% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could be 47%, which we are pretty comfortable with and we think is feasible on an earnings basis.

Lockheed Martin Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was US$3.00 in 2011, and the most recent fiscal year payment was US$11.20. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 14% per annum over that time. So, dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Lockheed Martin has impressed us by growing EPS at 19% per year over the past five years. Growth in EPS bodes well for the dividend, as does the low payout ratio that the company is currently reporting.

Lockheed Martin Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. The distributions are easily covered by earnings, and there is plenty of cash being generated as well. If earnings do fall over the next 12 months, the dividend could be buffeted a little bit, but we don't think it should cause too much of a problem in the long term. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. 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 Lockheed Martin that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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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