Cedar Woods Properties (ASX:CWP) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of AU$0.13

Cedar Woods Properties Limited (ASX:CWP) will pay a dividend of AU$0.13 on the 29th of April. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 5.2%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Cedar Woods Properties

Cedar Woods Properties' Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, Cedar Woods Properties' dividend was making up a very large proportion of earnings, and the company was also not generating any cash flow to offset this. Generally, we think that this would be a risky long term practice.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 68.4% over the next year. Under the assumption that the dividend will continue along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 52% which would be quite comfortable going to take the dividend forward.

Dividend Volatility

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 2012, the dividend has gone from AU$0.22 to AU$0.27. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 1.9% per annum over that time. We're glad to see the dividend has risen, but with a limited rate of growth and fluctuations in the payments the total shareholder return may be limited.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

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. In the last five years, Cedar Woods Properties' earnings per share has shrunk at approximately 3.9% per annum. If earnings continue declining, the company may have to make the difficult choice of reducing the dividend or even stopping it completely - the opposite of dividend growth. Earnings are forecast to grow over the next 12 months and if that happens we could still be a little bit cautious until it becomes a pattern.

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. The payments are bit high to be considered sustainable, and the track record isn't the best. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've identified 2 warning signs for Cedar Woods Properties (1 is significant!) that you should be aware of before investing. Is Cedar Woods Properties not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out 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.