Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that TEMC Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:425040) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be two business days before the record date, which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. Meaning, you will need to purchase TEMC's shares before the 29th of December to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 21st of April.
The company's upcoming dividend is ₩100.00 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of ₩100.00 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, TEMC has a trailing yield of approximately 1.3% on its current stock price of ₩7590.00. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to investigate whether TEMC can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. TEMC paid out just 19% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Luckily it paid out just 13% of its free cash flow last year.
It's positive to see that TEMC's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.
View our latest analysis for TEMC
Click here to see how much of its profit TEMC paid out over the last 12 months.
Companies with falling earnings are riskier for dividend shareholders. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. That's why it's not ideal to see TEMC's earnings per share have been shrinking at 4.5% a year over the previous five years.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. TEMC has seen its dividend decline 50% per annum on average over the past three years, which is not great to see. While it's not great that earnings and dividends per share have fallen in recent years, we're encouraged by the fact that management has trimmed the dividend rather than risk over-committing the company in a risky attempt to maintain yields to shareholders.
Is TEMC an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? TEMC has comfortably low cash and profit payout ratios, which may mean the dividend is sustainable even in the face of a sharp decline in earnings per share. Still, we consider declining earnings to be a warning sign. Overall, it's hard to get excited about TEMC from a dividend perspective.
In light of that, while TEMC has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. To help with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs for TEMC that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.
If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking 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.