The board of Ridley Corporation Limited (ASX:RIC) has announced that the dividend on 24th of October will be increased to A$0.0465, which will be 9.4% higher than last year's payment of A$0.0425 which covered the same period. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 3.8%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

View our latest analysis for Ridley

Ridley's Payment Could Potentially Have Solid Earnings Coverage

While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. Before this announcement, Ridley was paying out 72% of earnings, but a comparatively small 40% 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.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 44.0% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 56% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of A$0.03 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of A$0.093. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 12% over that duration. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

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 encouraging to see that Ridley has been growing its earnings per share at 10% a year over the past five years. The payout ratio is very much on the higher end, which could mean that the growth rate will slow down in the future, and that could flow through to the dividend as well.

We Really Like Ridley's Dividend

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. 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.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. 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 1 warning sign for Ridley that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Ridley 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.