Teo Seng Capital Berhad (KLSE:TEOSENG) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 18th of December to MYR0.04. This will take the annual payment to 3.6% of the stock price, which is above what most companies in the industry pay.
View our latest analysis for Teo Seng Capital Berhad
While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. However, prior to this announcement, Teo Seng Capital Berhad's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
EPS is set to fall by 6.0% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 24%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.
While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from MYR0.0133 total annually to MYR0.085. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 20% a year over that time. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.
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. It's encouraging to see that Teo Seng Capital Berhad has been growing its earnings per share at 24% a year over the past five years. Rapid earnings growth and a low payout ratio suggest this company has been effectively reinvesting in its business. Should that continue, this company could have a bright future.
In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. The distributions are easily covered by earnings, and there is plenty of cash being generated as well. If earnings do fall over the next 12 months, the dividend could be buffeted a little bit, but we don't think it should cause too much of a problem in the long term. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Just as an example, we've come across 2 warning signs for Teo Seng Capital Berhad you should be aware of, and 1 of them can't be ignored. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.