Interesting point of view29 Apr 2018 21:50
Strong performance
Having experienced a challenging period in 2013 when it recorded a pre-tax loss, insurance company RSA (LSE: RSA) has delivered a strong recovery. Under a refreshed management team and with a new strategy it has been able to not only return to having a black bottom line, but has also delivered three consecutive years of double-digit earnings growth.
In fact, in the last three years, its net profit has increased at an annualised rate of around 38%, which suggests that it has found a successful strategy. This has allowed it to raise dividends per share by 87% in the last two years, with further growth set to come.
RSA is expected to report a rise in shareholder payouts of over 30% per annum in the next two financial years. Its capacity to pay a higher dividend is set to improve, with its earnings due to increase by 15% this year and by a further 6% next year. Even with its strong growth in shareholder payouts, it is still due to have a dividend coverage ratio of 1.6 next year. This suggests that its 5.1% forward dividend yield is highly sustainable over the long run.