Regis Healthcare (ASX:REG) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year

Regis Healthcare Limited (ASX:REG) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 27th of September to A$0.0748. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 4.0%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for Regis Healthcare

Regis Healthcare's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. While Regis Healthcare is not profitable, it is paying out less than 75% of its free cash flow, which means that there is plenty left over for reinvestment into the business. This gives us some comfort about the level of the dividend payments.

According to analysts, EPS should be several times higher next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 18%, so there isn't too much pressure on the dividend.

Regis Healthcare's Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

Regis Healthcare has been paying dividends for a while, but the track record isn't stellar. Due to this, we are a little bit cautious about the dividend consistency over a full economic cycle. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from A$0.176 total annually to A$0.0948. This works out to be a decline of approximately 7.4% per year over that time. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS is growing. Over the past five years, it looks as though Regis Healthcare's EPS has declined at around 70% a year. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.

Regis Healthcare's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. 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. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Regis Healthcare that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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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.