Exco Technologies (TSE:XTC) Is Increasing Its Dividend To CA$0.10

The board of Exco Technologies Limited (TSE:XTC) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend on the 31st of March to CA$0.10. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 4.3%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Exco Technologies

Exco Technologies' Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last dividend, Exco Technologies is earning enough to cover the payment, but the it makes up 886% of cash flows. The company might be more focused on returning cash to shareholders, but paying out this much of its cash flow could expose the dividend to being cut in the future.

EPS is set to fall by 7.0% over the next 12 months. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could be 61%, which we are pretty comfortable with and we think is feasible on an earnings basis.

Exco Technologies Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2012, the first annual payment was CA$0.10, compared to the most recent full-year payment of CA$0.42. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 15% over that duration. Rapidly growing dividends for a long time is a very valuable feature for an income stock.

Dividend Growth Is Doubtful

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. However, things aren't all that rosy. In the last five years, Exco Technologies' earnings per share has shrunk at approximately 7.0% per annum. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends.

Our Thoughts On Exco Technologies' Dividend

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While the low payout ratio is redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. We don't think Exco Technologies is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Now, if you want to look closer, it would be worth checking out our free research on Exco Technologies management tenure, salary, and performance. 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.