nib holdings limited's (ASX:NHF) dividend is being reduced from last year's payment covering the same period to A$0.13 on the 9th of April. However, the dividend yield of 4.1% is still a decent boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for nib holdings

nib holdings' Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Prior to this announcement, nib holdings' dividend was making up a very large proportion of earnings and perhaps more concerning was that it was 107% of cash flows. This is certainly a risk factor, as reduced cash flows could force the company to pay a lower dividend.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 44.4% over the next year. Under the assumption that the dividend will continue along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 60% which would be quite comfortable going to take the dividend forward.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from A$0.115 total annually to A$0.26. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 8.5% per annum over that time. We like to see dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. However, nib holdings has only grown its earnings per share at 2.9% per annum over the past five years. Earnings are not growing quickly at all, and the company is paying out most of its profit as dividends. That's fine as far as it goes, but we're less enthusiastic as this often signals that the dividend is likely to grow slower in the future.

nib holdings' Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, it's not great to see that the dividend has been cut, but this might be explained by the payments being a bit high previously. The payments are bit high to be considered sustainable, and the track record isn't the best. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

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. Just as an example, we've come across 2 warning signs for nib holdings you should be aware of, and 1 of them doesn't sit too well with us. 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.