BorgWarner Inc.’s (NYSE:BWA) investors are due to receive a payment of US$0.17 per share on 15th of September. 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.
View our latest analysis for BorgWarner
BorgWarner’s Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. However, prior to this announcement, BorgWarner’s dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 17.3% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 18%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
BorgWarner Doesn’t Have A Long Payment History
BorgWarner’s dividend has been pretty stable for a little while now, but we will continue to be cautious until it has been demonstrated for a few more years. The dividend has gone from US$0.50 in 2013 to the most recent annual payment of US$0.68. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 3.9% a year over that time. It’s good to see at least some dividend growth. Yet with a relatively short dividend paying history, we wouldn’t want to depend on this dividend too heavily.
The Dividend’s Growth Prospects Are Limited
The company’s investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. However, BorgWarner has only grown its earnings per share at 4.2% per annum over the past five years. Earnings growth is slow, but on the plus side, the dividend payout ratio is low and dividends could grow faster than earnings, if the company decides to increase its payout ratio.
We’d also point out that BorgWarner has issued stock equal to 16% of shares outstanding. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus – perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective.
In Summary
Overall, a consistent dividend is a good thing, and we think that BorgWarner has the ability to continue this into the future. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company’s dividend track record isn’t stellar. Taking all of this into consideration, the dividend looks viable moving forward, but investors should be mindful that the company has pushed the boundaries of sustainability in the past and may do so again.
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. For instance, we’ve picked out 4 warning signs for BorgWarner that investors should take into consideration. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.
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