Extendicare's (TSE:EXE) Dividend Will Be CA$0.04
The board of Extendicare Inc. (TSE:EXE) has announced that it will pay a dividend of CA$0.04 per share on the 15th of September. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 6.6%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.
View our latest analysis for Extendicare
Extendicare Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning
If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Prior to this announcement, the company was paying out 585% of what it was earning. Without profits and cash flows increasing, it would be difficult for the company to continue paying the dividend at this level.
Looking forward, EPS could fall by 28.0% if the company can't turn things around from the last few years. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, the payout ratio in 12 months could be 800%, which is definitely a bit high to be sustainable going forward.
Extendicare's Track Record Isn't Great
The dividend hasn't seen any major cuts in the last 10 years, but it has slowly been decreasing. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from CA$0.84 total annually to CA$0.48. The dividend has shrunk at around 5.4% a year during that period. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.
Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky
Given that dividend payments have been shrinking like a glacier in a warming world, we need to check if there are some bright spots on the horizon. Extendicare's earnings per share has shrunk at 28% a year over the past five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough.
Extendicare's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable
Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. Although they have been consistent in the past, we think the payments are a little high to be sustained. 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. To that end, Extendicare has 5 warning signs (and 2 which are potentially serious) we think you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
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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.
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