Baker Technology Limited (SGX:BTP) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 21st of May to SGD0.015. The payment will take the dividend yield to 2.7%, which is in line with the average for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Baker Technology

Baker Technology's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. However, prior to this announcement, Baker Technology's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

EPS is set to fall by 14.0% over the next 12 months if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 33%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The annual payment during the last 10 years was SGD0.25 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was SGD0.015. The dividend has fallen 94% over that period. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Dividends have been going in the wrong direction, so we definitely want to see a different trend in the earnings per share. Baker Technology's earnings per share has shrunk at 14% a year over the past five years. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future.

Our Thoughts On Baker Technology's Dividend

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Baker Technology's payments are rock solid. The payments haven't been particularly stable and we don't see huge growth potential, but with the dividend well covered by cash flows it could prove to be reliable over the short term. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 3 warning signs for Baker Technology that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Baker Technology not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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