Investors who want to cash in on Evans Dixon Limited’s (ASX:ED1) upcoming dividend of AU$0.06 per share have only 4 days left to buy the shares before its ex-dividend date, 01 October 2018, in time for dividends payable on the 10 October 2018. What does this mean for current shareholders and potential investors? Below, I will explain how holding Evans Dixon can impact your portfolio income stream, by analysing the stock’s most recent financial data and dividend attributes.
View our latest analysis for Evans Dixon
5 checks you should do on a dividend stock
Whenever I am looking at a potential dividend stock investment, I always check these five metrics:
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Is it paying an annual yield above 75% of dividend payers?
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Has its dividend been stable over the past (i.e. no missed payments or significant payout cuts)?
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Has the amount of dividend per share grown over the past?
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Does earnings amply cover its dividend payments?
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Based on future earnings growth, will it be able to continue to payout dividend at the current rate?
How does Evans Dixon fare?
The company currently pays out 95.4% of its earnings as a dividend, according to its trailing twelve-month data, which means that the dividend is not well-covered by its earnings. Furthermore, analysts have not forecasted a dividends per share for the future, which makes it hard to determine the yield shareholders should expect, and whether the current payout is sustainable, moving forward.
If you want to dive deeper into the sustainability of a certain payout ratio, you may wish to consider the cash flow of the business. A company with strong cash flow, relative to earnings, can sometimes sustain a high pay out ratio.
Reliablity is an important factor for dividend stocks, particularly for income investors who want a strong track record of payment and a positive outlook for future payout. Unfortunately, it is really too early to view Evans Dixon as a dividend investment. Last year was the company’s first dividend payment, so it is certainly early days. The standard practice for reliable payers is to look for 10 or so years of track record.
Relative to peers, Evans Dixon produces a yield of 5.8%, which is high for Capital Markets stocks.
Next Steps:
Now you know to keep in mind the reason why investors should be careful investing in Evans Dixon for the dividend. On the other hand, if you are not strictly just a dividend investor, the stock could still be offering some interesting investment opportunities. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, I urge potential investors to try and get a good understanding of the underlying business and its fundamentals before deciding on an investment. Below, I’ve compiled three relevant factors you should further examine: