While investor demand for Greene King (LSE: GNK) may have trekked lower in recent months, I reckon a spritely trading update (scheduled for Friday, February 10) could see the share price spike higher once more.
Greene King reported profit growth across all its main divisions during the first six months of fiscal 2017, it advised in November, with a 1.3% advance in like-for-like pub sales outpacing growth across the broader market. And the company’s bias towards London and the South East of England is also broadly expected to help keep driving the bottom line higher.
Against this backcloth, Greene King is expected to raise a dividend of 32.05p per share in the period to April 2016 to 33.2p in the current year, creating a yield of 4.7%. And predictions of an additional rise in fiscal 2018, to 34.5p, propels the yield to 4.9%.
Clothes colossus
Although inflationary pressures are anticipated to put consumer spending power under increasing pressure in 2017, I reckon such a scenario could play into the hands of value clothing retailers like N Brown (LSE: BWNG).
But the cost-effective nature of N Brown’s lines isn’t the only stock’s selling point. Indeed, a focus on the plus-size segments via its Jacamo and Simply Be brands protects the company from the broader competitive pressures washing over the more generalised clothing market.
While sales are expected to keep ticking higher however, City brokers expect earnings to duck 5% and 1% lower in the periods to February 2017 and 2018 respectively as costs rise. And this is expected to push the dividend from 14.23p per share during the past three years to 14p and 14.1p this year and next.
Having said that, N Brown still sports market-beating yields of 6.3% for this year and 6.4% for fiscal 2018 based on these projections.
And although the company is expected to suffer a little near-term earnings turmoil, I expect its niche product offerings and improving internet presence to underpin strong earnings and dividend advances in the years ahead.
Fasten your seatbelts
Flight support play BBA Aviation (LSE: BBA) isn’t expected to suffer any such earnings turbulence in the near term or beyond, however, as a growing US economy supports steady growth in the business jet market.
And BBA has engaged in shrewd M&A activity in recent times, like the 2016 acquisition of Landmark to bolster its flight support operations. More recently it took the decision to merge its aircraft management and charter businesses with those of Gama Aviation, to boost its hold on the growing North American market.
The City expects these factors to drive earnings at BBA Aviation 17% higher in 2017, underpinning dividend growth from an expected 11.9 US cents last year to 12.7 cents. And the payout is expected to grow to 14.8 cents next year, supported by an anticipated 11% bottom-line bounce.
The yield at BBA Aviation consequently leaps from 3.6% for 2017 to a chunky 4.2% for 2018. And I expect dividends to keep improving as rising jet activity blasts revenues higher.
