Patterson Companies' (NASDAQ:PDCO) Dividend Will Be US$0.26

Simply Wall St
·2 min read

Patterson Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDCO) will pay a dividend of US$0.26 on the 6th of August. This makes the dividend yield 3.0%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

Check out our latest analysis for Patterson Companies

Patterson Companies Might Find It Hard To Continue The Dividend

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Despite not generating a profit, Patterson Companies is still paying a dividend. It is also not generating any free cash flow, we definitely have concerns when it comes to the sustainability of the dividend.

Over the next year, EPS might fall by 61.3% based on recent performance. This means the company will be unprofitable and managers could face the tough choice between continuing to pay the dividend or taking pressure off the balance sheet.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

Patterson Companies Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was US$0.40 in 2011, and the most recent fiscal year payment was US$1.04. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 10% a year over that time. It is good to see that there has been strong dividend growth, and that there haven't been any cuts for a long time.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Let's not jump to conclusions as things might not be as good as they appear on the surface. Earnings per share has been sinking by 61% over the last five years. 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.

Patterson Companies' Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. We can't deny that the payments have been very stable, but we are a little bit worried about the very high payout ratio. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

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 example, we've identified 2 warning signs for Patterson Companies (1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of before investing. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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