In This Article:
The board of Embelton Limited (ASX:EMB) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 11th of October, with investors receiving A$0.20 per share. This means the annual payment is 4.2% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.
See our latest analysis for Embelton
Embelton's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Embelton was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.
Unless the company can turn things around, EPS could fall by 0.2% over the next year. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 60%, which is definitely feasible to continue.
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from A$0.29 total annually to A$0.35. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 1.9% per annum over that time. Modest growth in the dividend is good to see, but we think this is offset by historical cuts to the payments. It is hard to live on a dividend income if the company's earnings are not consistent.
Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve
Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Although it's important to note that Embelton's earnings per share has basically not grown from where it was five years ago, which could erode the purchasing power of the dividend over time.
Our Thoughts On Embelton's Dividend
In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Embelton's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. 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 probably look elsewhere for an income investment.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Just as an example, we've come across 4 warning signs for Embelton you should be aware of, and 2 of them are significant. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.