LSL Property Services (LON:LSL) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of £0.04
LSL Property Services plc (LON:LSL) has announced that it will pay a dividend of £0.04 per share on the 16th of September. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 4.7%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.
View our latest analysis for LSL Property Services
LSL Property Services' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, LSL Property Services was paying only paying out a fraction of earnings, but the payment was a massive 105% of cash flows. A cash payout ratio this high could put the dividend under pressure and force the company to reduce it in the future if it were to run into tough times.
Looking forward, EPS could fall by 3.8% 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, we estimate the payout ratio could be 24%, which is definitely feasible to continue.
Dividend Volatility
Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2012, the annual payment back then was £0.087, compared to the most recent full-year payment of £0.148. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 5.5% over that duration. We have seen cuts in the past, so while the growth looks promising we would be a little bit cautious about its track record.
Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. Over the past five years, it looks as though LSL Property Services' EPS has declined at around 3.8% a year. Declining earnings will inevitably lead to the company paying a lower dividend in line with lower profits.
The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable
Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. While LSL Property Services is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for LSL Property Services that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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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