Educational Development (NASDAQ:EDUC) Has Re-Affirmed Its Dividend Of US$0.10

Educational Development Corporation (NASDAQ:EDUC) has announced that it will pay a dividend of US$0.10 per share on the 10th of March. This makes the dividend yield 5.4%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

See our latest analysis for Educational Development

Educational Development's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, Educational Development's earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. With the company not bringing in any cash, paying out to shareholders is bound to become difficult at some point.

Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 35.2% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 29% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from US$0.26 to US$0.40. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 4.6% per annum over that time. The dividend has seen some fluctuations in the past, so even though the dividend was raised this year, we should remember that it has been cut in the past.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Educational Development has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 35% per annum. Earnings have been growing rapidly, and with a low payout ratio we think that the company could turn out to be a great dividend stock.

Our Thoughts On Educational Development's Dividend

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

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. For example, we've identified 6 warning signs for Educational Development (2 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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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.