Tecsys (TSE:TCS) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of CA$0.07

Tecsys Inc. (TSE:TCS) will pay a dividend of CA$0.07 on the 14th of April. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 0.9%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Tecsys' stock price has reduced by 37% in the last 3 months, which is not ideal for investors and can explain a sharp increase in the dividend yield.

See our latest analysis for Tecsys

Tecsys' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, the company was paying out 100% of what it was earning. Without profits and cash flows increasing, it would be difficult for the company to continue paying the dividend at this level.

Earnings per share is forecast to rise by 44.9% over the next year. If the dividend continues growing along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could reach 80%, which is on the higher side, but certainly still feasible.

Tecsys Has A Solid Track Record

The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. Since 2012, the first annual payment was CA$0.06, compared to the most recent full-year payment of CA$0.28. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 17% over that duration. Rapidly growing dividends for a long time is a very valuable feature for an income stock.

Dividend Growth Is Doubtful

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. However, initial appearances might be deceiving. It's not great to see that Tecsys' earnings per share has fallen at approximately 8.1% per year over the past five years. A modest decline in earnings isn't great, and it makes it quite unlikely that the dividend will grow in the future unless that trend can be reversed. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Tecsys' payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. We can't deny that the payments have been very stable, but we are a little bit worried about the very high payout ratio. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

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. As an example, we've identified 2 warning signs for Tecsys that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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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.