The board of W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE:WRB) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend by 9.1% on the 28th of June to $0.12, up from last year's comparable payment of $0.11. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 1.8%.

See our latest analysis for W. R. Berkley

W. R. Berkley's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. However, prior to this announcement, W. R. Berkley's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 22.6%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 21% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from $0.178 total annually to $1.44. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 23% a year over that time. It is great to see strong growth in the dividend payments, but cuts are concerning as it may indicate the payout policy is too ambitious.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

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. It's encouraging to see that W. R. Berkley has been growing its earnings per share at 21% a year over the past five years. Rapid earnings growth and a low payout ratio suggest this company has been effectively reinvesting in its business. Should that continue, this company could have a bright future.

We Really Like W. R. Berkley's Dividend

Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for W. R. Berkley that investors should take into consideration. Is W. R. Berkley not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.