RELX (LON:REL) Is Increasing Its Dividend To £0.418

RELX PLC (LON:REL) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 13th of June to £0.418. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 1.8%.

See our latest analysis for RELX

RELX's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. Based on the last payment, RELX was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 38.9%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 48%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

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RELX Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was £0.246, compared to the most recent full-year payment of £0.588. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 9.1% 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.

We Could See RELX's Dividend Growing

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. It's encouraging to see that RELX has been growing its earnings per share at 5.8% a year over the past five years. Shareholders are getting plenty of the earnings returned to them, which combined with strong growth makes this quite appealing.

We Really Like RELX's Dividend

Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that RELX 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 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. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for RELX that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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.