Eildon Capital Fund (ASX:EDC) Has Announced A Dividend Of AU$0.02

The board of Eildon Capital Fund (ASX:EDC) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 22nd of October, with investors receiving AU$0.02 per share. This means the annual payment is 7.6% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Eildon Capital Fund

Eildon Capital Fund Doesn't Earn Enough To Cover Its Payments

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Eildon Capital Fund's profits didn't cover the dividend, but the company was generating enough cash instead. Generally, we think cash is more important than accounting measures of profit, so with the cash flows easily covering the dividend, we don't think there is much reason to worry.

If the company can't turn things around, EPS could fall by 28.2% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could reach 535%, which could put the dividend in jeopardy if the company's earnings don't improve.

Eildon Capital Fund's Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

Looking back, the company hasn't been paying the most consistent dividend, but with such a short dividend history it could be too early to draw solid conclusions. Since 2017, the dividend has gone from AU$0.055 to AU$0.079. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 9.6% per annum over that time. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Eildon Capital Fund's EPS has fallen by approximately 28% per year during the past five years. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future.

The company has also been raising capital by issuing stock equal to 15% of shares outstanding in the last 12 months. Regularly doing this can be detrimental - it's hard to grow dividends per share when new shares are regularly being created.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. In the past, the payments have been unstable, but over the short term the dividend could be reliable, with the company generating enough cash to cover it. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

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 6 warning signs for Eildon Capital Fund you should be aware of, and 1 of them can't be ignored. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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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.
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