Deutsche B?rse AG (ETR:DB1) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 17th of May to €3.80. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 2.1% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for Deutsche B?rse

Deutsche B?rse's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. Prior to this announcement, Deutsche B?rse's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 17.8%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 36% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Deutsche B?rse Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from €2.10 total annually to €3.80. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 6.1% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination as it provides a nice boost to shareholder returns.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Deutsche B?rse has impressed us by growing EPS at 15% per year over the past five years. Since earnings per share is growing at an acceptable rate, and the payout policy is balanced, we think the company is positioning itself well to grow earnings and dividends in the future.

Deutsche B?rse Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Deutsche B?rse is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 13 Deutsche B?rse analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

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