The board of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited (ASX:SOL) has announced that it will pay a dividend of A$0.44 per share on the 14th of May. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 2.8% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.

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Washington H. Soul Pattinson's Future Dividends May Potentially Be At Risk

While yield is important, another factor to consider about a company's dividend is whether the current payout levels are feasible. Based on the last dividend, Washington H. Soul Pattinson is earning enough to cover the payment, but then it makes up 111% of cash flows. The company might be more focused on returning cash to shareholders, but paying out this much of its cash flow could expose the dividend to being cut in the future.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to fall by 28.6%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could reach 104%, which could put the dividend under pressure if earnings don't start to improve.

See our latest analysis for Washington H. Soul Pattinson

Washington H. Soul Pattinson Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The dividend has gone from an annual total of A$0.48 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of A$0.95. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.1% over that duration. The dividend has been growing very nicely for a number of years, and has given its shareholders some nice income in their portfolios.

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. Washington H. Soul Pattinson has impressed us by growing EPS at 23% per year over the past five years. Washington H. Soul Pattinson is clearly able to grow rapidly while still returning cash to shareholders, positioning it to become a strong dividend payer in the future.

Our Thoughts On Washington H. Soul Pattinson's Dividend

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While the low payout ratio is a redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, Washington H. Soul Pattinson has 2 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about. Is Washington H. Soul Pattinson 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.