Erie Indemnity Company (NASDAQ:ERIE) will increase its dividend on the 22nd of January to $1.37, which is 7.1% higher than last year's payment from the same period of $1.27. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 1.2% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Erie Indemnity

Erie Indemnity's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions

Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. Based on the last payment, Erie Indemnity 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 16.5%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 45% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Erie Indemnity Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from $2.54 total annually to $5.10. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.2% over that duration. 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.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Erie Indemnity has impressed us by growing EPS at 12% per year over the past five years. The company is paying a reasonable amount of earnings to shareholders, and is growing earnings at a decent rate so we think it could be a decent dividend stock.

We Really Like Erie Indemnity's Dividend

Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. 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.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. You can also discover whether shareholders are aligned with insider interests by checking our visualisation of insider shareholdings and trades in Erie Indemnity stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield 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.