Yahoo Finance Lum Chang Holdings (SGX:L19) Is Paying Out Less In Dividends Than Last Year
The board of Lum Chang Holdings Limited (SGX:L19) has announced that the dividend on 15th of March will be reduced by 33% from last year's SGD0.0075 to SGD0.005. The dividend yield of 6.0% is still a nice boost to shareholder returns, despite the cut.
See our latest analysis for Lum Chang Holdings
Lum Chang Holdings Might Find It Hard To Continue The Dividend
We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Even in the absence of profits, Lum Chang Holdings is paying a dividend. The company is also yet to generate cash flow, so the dividend sustainability is definitely questionable.
Looking forward, earnings per share could 71.5% over the next year if the trend of the last few years can't be broken. This means the company will be unprofitable and managers could face the tough choice between continuing to pay the dividend or taking pressure off the balance sheet.
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The dividend has gone from an annual total of SGD0.02 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of SGD0.0175. The dividend has shrunk at around 1.3% 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.
The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Lum Chang Holdings' earnings per share has shrunk at 71% a year over the past five years. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future.
Lum Chang Holdings' Dividend Doesn't Look Great
In summary, it's not great to see that the dividend is being cut, but it is probably understandable given that the current payment level was quite high. The company's earnings aren't high enough to be making such big distributions, and it isn't backed up by strong growth or consistency either. We don't think that this is a great candidate to be an income stock.
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. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Lum Chang Holdings (of which 2 make us uncomfortable!) 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.
