Anpario plc (LON:ANP) will increase its dividend on the 26th of July to ￡0.075, which is 2.0% higher than last year's payment from the same period of ￡0.0735. This makes the dividend yield 4.2%, which is above the industry average.

See our latest analysis for Anpario

Anpario Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, Anpario's dividend made up quite a large proportion of earnings but only 28% 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.

If the company can't turn things around, EPS could fall by 8.6% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could reach 104%, which could put the dividend under pressure if earnings don't start to improve.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from ￡0.03 total annually to ￡0.107. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 14% 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.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

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 not great to see that Anpario's earnings per share has fallen at approximately 8.6% per year over the past five years. If earnings continue declining, the company may have to make the difficult choice of reducing the dividend or even stopping it completely - the opposite of dividend growth.

In Summary

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Anpario's payments are rock solid. In the past, the payments have been unstable, but over the short term the dividend could be reliable, with the company generating enough cash to cover it. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Just as an example, we've come across 3 warning signs for Anpario you should be aware of, and 1 of them is potentially serious. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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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.