Firm Capital Mortgage Investment (TSE:FC) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of CA$0.078

Firm Capital Mortgage Investment Corporation (TSE:FC) has announced that it will pay a dividend of CA$0.078 per share on the 15th of May. This means the annual payment is 8.4% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.

View our latest analysis for Firm Capital Mortgage Investment

Firm Capital Mortgage Investment Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Before making this announcement, Firm Capital Mortgage Investment's dividend was higher than its profits, but the free cash flows quite comfortably covered it. Given that the dividend is a cash outflow, we think that cash is more important than accounting measures of profit when assessing the dividend, so this is a mitigating factor.

If the company can't turn things around, EPS could fall by 1.7% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could reach 103%, which could put the dividend under pressure if earnings don't start to improve.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was CA$0.99 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was CA$0.95. Dividend payments have shrunk at a rate of less than 1% per annum over this time frame. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Unfortunately, Firm Capital Mortgage Investment's earnings per share has been essentially flat over the past five years, which means the dividend may not be increased each year.

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 haven't been particularly stable and we don't see huge growth potential, but with the dividend well covered by cash flows it could prove to be reliable over the short term. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For example, we've picked out 3 warning signs for Firm Capital Mortgage Investment that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield 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.