The board of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRW) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.61 per share on the 1st of April. This means that the annual payment will be 3.3% of the current stock price, which is in line with the average for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for C.H. Robinson Worldwide

C.H. Robinson Worldwide's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Before this announcement, C.H. Robinson Worldwide was paying out 89% of earnings, but a comparatively small 44% of free cash flows. In general, cash flows are more important than earnings, so we are comfortable that the dividend will be sustainable going forward, especially with so much cash left over for reinvestment.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 90.0% over the next year. Under the assumption that the dividend will continue along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 48% which would be quite comfortable going to take the dividend forward.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Has A Solid Track Record

The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $1.40 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $2.44. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 5.7% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination as it provides a nice boost to shareholder returns.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. C.H. Robinson Worldwide's EPS has fallen by approximately 10% per year during the past five years. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. Over the next year, however, earnings are actually predicted to rise, but we would still be cautious until a track record of earnings growth can be built.

In Summary

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. The company has been bring in plenty of cash to cover the dividend, but we don't necessarily think that makes it a great dividend stock. We don't think C.H. Robinson Worldwide is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.