Yahoo Finance Manulife Financial's (TSE:MFC) Dividend Will Be CA$0.33
Manulife Financial Corporation's (TSE:MFC) investors are due to receive a payment of CA$0.33 per share on 19th of December. This makes the dividend yield 5.6%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.
See our latest analysis for Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. However, prior to this announcement, Manulife Financial's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 40.8% over the next year. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 50%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future.
Manulife Financial Has A Solid Track Record
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2012, the annual payment back then was CA$0.52, compared to the most recent full-year payment of CA$1.32. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 9.8% per annum over that time. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Manulife Financial has impressed us by growing EPS at 21% per year over the past five years. Earnings per share is growing at a solid clip, and the payout ratio is low which we think is an ideal combination in a dividend stock as the company can quite easily raise the dividend in the future.
Manulife Financial Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
Overall, we like to see the dividend staying consistent, and we think Manulife Financial might even raise payments in the future. The company is generating plenty of cash, and the earnings also quite easily cover the distributions. We should point out that the earnings are expected to fall over the next 12 months, which won't be a problem if this doesn't become a trend, but could cause some turbulence in the next year. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Manulife Financial that you should be aware of before investing. Is Manulife Financial 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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