Wajax (TSE:WJX) Will Pay A Dividend Of CA$0.25

Wajax Corporation's (TSE:WJX) investors are due to receive a payment of CA$0.25 per share on 5th of January. The dividend yield will be 3.4% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

View our latest analysis for Wajax

Wajax's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. However, Wajax's earnings easily cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

Over the next year, EPS could expand by 20.3% if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 29%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

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. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was CA$1.80 in 2011, and the most recent fiscal year payment was CA$1.00. Doing the maths, this is a decline of about 5.7% per year. 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 Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS is growing. Wajax has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 20% per annum. Earnings per share is growing at a solid clip, and the payout ratio is low which we think is an ideal combination in a dividend stock as the company can quite easily raise the dividend in the future.

We Really Like Wajax's Dividend

In summary, it is good to see that the dividend is staying consistent, and we don't think there is any reason to suspect this might change over the medium term. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. As an example, we've identified 4 warning signs for Wajax that you should be aware of before investing. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a solid dividend.

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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