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Nick Scali's (ASX:NCK) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year

Nick Scali Limited (ASX:NCK) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 24th of October to A$0.35. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 7.0%.

View our latest analysis for Nick Scali

Nick Scali's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. Before this announcement, Nick Scali was paying out 76% of earnings, but a comparatively small 55% of free cash flows. In general, cash flows are more important than earnings, so we are comfortable that the dividend will be sustainable going forward, especially with so much cash left over for reinvestment.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 3.7%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could reach 86%, which is on the higher side, but certainly still feasible.

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Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of A$0.09 in 2012 to the most recent total annual payment of A$0.70. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 23% over that duration. Dividends have grown rapidly over this time, but with cuts in the past we are not certain that this stock will be a reliable source of income in the future.

Nick Scali Might Find It Hard To Grow Its Dividend

Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Nick Scali has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 15% per annum. Recently, the company has been able to grow earnings at a decent rate, but with the payout ratio on the higher end we don't think the dividend has many prospects for growth.

In Summary

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Nick Scali that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Nick Scali not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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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