The Procter & Gamble Company (PG) provides consumer packaged goods in the United States and internationally. This dividend aristocrat has paid uninterrupted dividends on its common stock since 1891 and increased payments to common shareholders every for 57 consecutive years. There are only fifteen companies in the world which have managed to boost distributions over half a century. One of the largest shareholders is no other but Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B).
The company’s last dividend increase was in April 2013 when the Board of Directors approved a 7% increase to 60.15 cents/share. Procter & Gamble’s largest competitors include Kimberly-Clark (KMB), Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Clorox (CLX).
Over the past decade this dividend growth stock has delivered an annualized total return of 8.40% to its shareholders.
The company has managed to deliver a 7.90% annual increase in EPS since 2003. Analysts expect Procter & Gamble to earn $4.05 per share in 2013 and $4.36 per share in 2014. In comparison Procter & Gamble earned $3.12 /share in 2012. The 2012 results included impairment of goodwill for 51 cents/share as well as a 20 cents/share incremental restructuring charge.
The company’s return on equity decreased in half when it acquired Gillette in 2006. This indicator has stabilized around 19% for four years after that, before decreasing to 14% in 2012. I fully expect this to rebound to 19% in 2013, as 2012 performance was low because of one-time accounting charges. Rather than focus on absolute values for this indicator, I generally want to see at least a stable return on equity over time.
The annual dividend payment has increased by 10.80% per year since 2002, which is higher than the growth in EPS.
An 11% growth in distributions translates into the dividend payment doubling every six and a half years. If we look at historical data, going as far back as 1976 we see that Procter & Gamble has actually managed to double its dividend every seven years on average.
The dividend payout ratio has mostly remained between 40% and 50%. Currently, it is at 68%, mostly due to lower earnings from one-time accounting charges. Given forward earnings of $4.05/share in 2013, the payout is a sustainable 55.50%. A lower payout is always a plus, since it leaves room for consistent dividend growth minimizing the impact of short-term fluctuations in earnings.
Full Disclosures: Long KMB, PG, CL, CLX
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