Why It Might Not Make Sense To Buy Wajax Corporation (TSE:WJX) For Its Upcoming Dividend

It looks like Wajax Corporation (TSE:WJX) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 14th of September will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 2nd of October.

Wajax's next dividend payment will be CA$0.25 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of CA$1.00 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Wajax has a trailing yield of 8.3% on the current share price of CA$12.12. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Wajax's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.

See our latest analysis for Wajax

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Wajax paid out more than half (59%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It paid out more than half (60%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.

It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. With that in mind, we're discomforted by Wajax's 7.1% per annum decline in earnings in the past five years. When earnings per share fall, the maximum amount of dividends that can be paid also falls.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Wajax has seen its dividend decline 5.7% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see. It's never nice to see earnings and dividends falling, but at least management has cut the dividend rather than potentially risk the company's health in an attempt to maintain it.

Final Takeaway

Is Wajax an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? It's never good to see earnings per share shrinking, but at least the dividend payout ratios appear reasonable. We're aware though that if earnings continue to decline, the dividend could be at risk. It's not an attractive combination from a dividend perspective, and we're inclined to pass on this one for the time being.

Although, if you're still interested in Wajax and want to know more, you'll find it very useful to know what risks this stock faces. For example, Wajax has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit concerning) we think you should know about.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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