Yahoo Finance ASX's (ASX:ASX) Dividend Will Be Reduced To A$1.16
ASX Limited (ASX:ASX) is reducing its dividend from last year's comparable payment to A$1.16 on the 29th of March. The dividend yield will be in the average range for the industry at 3.5%.
Check out our latest analysis for ASX
ASX's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. Before making this announcement, ASX's dividend was higher than its profits, but the free cash flows quite comfortably covered it. Generally, we think cash is more important than accounting measures of profit, so with the cash flows easily covering the dividend, we don't think there is much reason to worry.
EPS is set to grow by 74.8% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could reach 81%, which is on the higher side, but certainly still feasible.
ASX Has A Solid Track Record
The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2013, the annual payment back then was A$1.78, compared to the most recent full-year payment of A$2.36. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 2.9% over that duration. Slow and steady dividend growth might not sound that exciting, but dividends have been stable for ten years, which we think makes this a fairly attractive offer.
Dividend Growth Is Doubtful
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Let's not jump to conclusions as things might not be as good as they appear on the surface. Over the past five years, it looks as though ASX's EPS has declined at around 5.7% a year. A modest decline in earnings isn't great, and it makes it quite unlikely that the dividend will grow in the future unless that trend can be reversed. Earnings are predicted to grow over the next year, but we would remain cautious until a track record of earnings growth is established.
In Summary
Overall, it's not great to see that the dividend has been cut, but this might be explained by the payments being a bit high previously. The company has been bring in plenty of cash to cover the dividend, but we don't necessarily think that makes it a great dividend stock. We don't think ASX is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for ASX that investors should take into consideration. Is ASX not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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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