CES Energy Solutions (TSE:CEU) Is Increasing Its Dividend To CA$0.025

The board of CES Energy Solutions Corp. (TSE:CEU) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of CA$0.025 on the 14th of July, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 4.1%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

See our latest analysis for CES Energy Solutions

CES Energy Solutions' Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. Before making this announcement, CES Energy Solutions was paying a whopping 98% as a dividend, but this only made up 16% of its overall earnings. A cash payout ratio this high could put the dividend under pressure and force the company to reduce it in the future if it were to run into tough times.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 26.4%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 11% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going 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. The annual payment during the last 10 years was CA$0.20 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was CA$0.10. Doing the maths, this is a decline of about 6.7% per year. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Dividends have been going in the wrong direction, so we definitely want to see a different trend in the earnings per share. We are encouraged to see that CES Energy Solutions has grown earnings per share at 24% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.

In Summary

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While CES Energy Solutions is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for CES Energy Solutions (of which 1 is a bit concerning!) you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.