Yahoo Finance Aviva (LON:AV.) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year
The board of Aviva plc (LON:AV.) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of £0.103 on the 28th of September, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. This makes the dividend yield 6.2%, which is above the industry average.
See our latest analysis for Aviva
Aviva Doesn't Earn Enough To Cover Its Payments
A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Even though Aviva isn't generating a profit, it is generating healthy free cash flows that easily cover the dividend. This gives us some comfort about the level of the dividend payments.
Earnings per share is forecast to rise by 173.1% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could get very high, which probably can't continue without starting to put some pressure on the balance sheet.
Dividend Volatility
Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of £0.342 in 2012 to the most recent total annual payment of £0.29. Doing the maths, this is a decline of about 1.6% per year. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.
Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky
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. Over the past five years, it looks as though Aviva's EPS has declined at around 20% a year. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough. Over the next year, however, earnings are actually predicted to rise, but we would still be cautious until a track record of earnings growth can be built.
Aviva's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable
Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Aviva will make a great income stock. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.
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 instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for Aviva that investors should take into consideration. Is Aviva not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.
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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.
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