Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ:COLM) will pay a dividend of $0.30 on the 4th of December. This means that the annual payment will be 1.5% of the current stock price, which is in line with the average for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Columbia Sportswear

Columbia Sportswear's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions

While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. However, Columbia Sportswear's earnings easily cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 56.9%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 22% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $0.56 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $1.20. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.9% over that duration. We have seen cuts in the past, so while the growth looks promising we would be a little bit cautious about its track record.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Over the past five years, it looks as though Columbia Sportswear's EPS has declined at around 5.5% a year. If earnings continue declining, the company may have to make the difficult choice of reducing the dividend or even stopping it completely - the opposite of dividend growth. Earnings are forecast to grow over the next 12 months and if that happens we could still be a little bit cautious until it becomes a pattern.

Our Thoughts On Columbia Sportswear's Dividend

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. The payments haven't been particularly stable and we don't see huge growth potential, but with the dividend well covered by cash flows it could prove to be reliable over the short term. 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. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Columbia Sportswear that you should be aware of before investing. 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.