Why Buying GobiMin Inc (CVE:GMN) For Its 3.50% Dividend Could Be A Mistake

Dividends can be underrated but they form a large part of investment returns, playing an important role in compounding returns in the long run. Over the past 10 years, GobiMin Inc (CVE:GMN) has returned an average of 3.00% per year to shareholders in terms of dividend yield. Does GobiMin tick all the boxes of a great dividend stock? Below, I'll take you through my analysis.

View our latest analysis for GobiMin

5 checks you should do on a dividend stock

When assessing a stock as a potential addition to my dividend Portfolio, I look at these five areas:

• Is their annual yield among the top 25% of dividend payers?
• Has its dividend been stable over the past (i.e. no missed payments or significant payout cuts)?
• Has dividend per share risen in the past couple of years?
• Is is able to pay the current rate of dividends from its earnings?
• Based on future earnings growth, will it be able to continue to payout dividend at the current rate?

How does GobiMin fare?

The current payout ratio for GMN is negative, meaning that the company is not yet profitable and is paying dividend by dipping into its retained earnings.

If dividend is a key criteria in your investment consideration, then you need to make sure the dividend stock you're eyeing out is reliable in its payments. Dividend payments from GobiMin have been volatile in the past 10 years, with some years experiencing significant drops of over 25%. These characteristics do not bode well for income investors seeking reliable stream of dividends.

Relative to peers, GobiMin generates a yield of 3.50%, which is high for Metals and Mining stocks but still below the market's top dividend payers.

Next Steps:

Now you know to keep in mind the reason why investors should be careful investing in GobiMin for the dividend. But if you are not exclusively a dividend investor, the stock could still be an interesting investment opportunity. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, you should always research extensively before deciding whether or not a stock is an appropriate investment for you. I always recommend analysing the company's fundamentals and underlying business before making an investment decision. Below, I've compiled three relevant factors you should look at:

1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for GMN’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for GMN’s outlook.
2. Historical Performance: What has GMN's returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity.
3. Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.

The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

Simply Wall St analyst Simply Wall St and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.