Extendicare Inc. (TSE:EXE) Is About To Go Ex-Dividend, And It Pays A 5.7% Yield
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Extendicare Inc. (TSE:EXE) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase Extendicare's shares before the 29th of July to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 16th of August.
The company's next dividend payment will be CA$0.04 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed CA$0.48 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Extendicare has a trailing yield of 5.7% on the current share price of CA$8.49. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
See our latest analysis for Extendicare
Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. It paid out 87% of its earnings as dividends last year, which is not unreasonable, but limits reinvestment in the business and leaves the dividend vulnerable to a business downturn. It could become a concern if earnings started to decline. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Extendicare generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Over the last year, it paid out more than three-quarters (81%) of its free cash flow generated, which is fairly high and may be starting to limit reinvestment in the business.
It's positive to see that Extendicare's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. For this reason, we're glad to see Extendicare's earnings per share have risen 15% per annum over the last five years. It paid out more than three-quarters of its earnings in the last year, even though earnings per share are growing rapidly. We're surprised that management has not elected to reinvest more in the business to accelerate growth further.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Extendicare's dividend payments per share have declined at 5.4% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring. Extendicare is a rare case where dividends have been decreasing at the same time as earnings per share have been improving. It's unusual to see, and could point to unstable conditions in the core business, or more rarely an intensified focus on reinvesting profits.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Extendicare? Higher earnings per share generally lead to higher dividends from dividend-paying stocks over the long run. However, we'd also note that Extendicare is paying out more than half of its earnings and cash flow as profits, which could limit the dividend growth if earnings growth slows. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about Extendicare from a dividend perspective.
While it's tempting to invest in Extendicare for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Extendicare (including 2 which are a bit concerning).
If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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