Carpenter Tan Holdings Limited (HKG:837) is reducing its dividend from last year's comparable payment to CN¥0.3663 on the 30th of June. This means the annual payment is 6.1% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.

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Carpenter Tan Holdings' Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Carpenter Tan Holdings' earnings. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Over the next year, EPS could expand by 6.9% if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 51% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

See our latest analysis for Carpenter Tan Holdings

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was CN¥0.252 in 2015, and the most recent fiscal year payment was CN¥0.344. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 3.2% over that duration. Modest growth in the dividend is good to see, but we think this is offset by historical cuts to the payments. It is hard to live on a dividend income if the company's earnings are not consistent.

The Dividend Has Growth Potential

Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Carpenter Tan Holdings has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 6.9% per annum. The company is paying out a lot of its cash as a dividend, but it looks okay based on the payout ratio.

In Summary

Overall, we think that Carpenter Tan Holdings could make a reasonable income stock, even though it did cut the dividend this year. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company's dividend track record isn't stellar. Taking all of this into consideration, the dividend looks viable moving forward, but investors should be mindful that the company has pushed the boundaries of sustainability in the past and may do so again.

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. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Carpenter Tan Holdings that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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