Exchange Income (TSE:EIF) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of CA$0.19

The board of Exchange Income Corporation (TSE:EIF) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 13th of August, with investors receiving CA$0.19 per share. This makes the dividend yield 5.7%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

Check out our latest analysis for Exchange Income

Exchange Income Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Based on the last payment, Exchange Income's profits didn't cover the dividend, but the company was generating enough cash instead. Generally, we think cash is more important than accounting measures of profit, so with the cash flows easily covering the dividend, we don't think there is much reason to worry.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 64.7%. If the dividend continues on its recent course, the payout ratio in 12 months could be 126%, which is a bit high and could start applying pressure to the balance sheet.

Exchange Income Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The dividend has gone from CA$1.56 in 2011 to the most recent annual payment of CA$2.28. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 3.9% over that duration. While the consistency in the dividend payments is impressive, we think the relatively slow rate of growth is less attractive.

Dividend Growth Is Doubtful

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. However, initial appearances might be deceiving. Exchange Income has seen earnings per share falling at 9.6% per year over the last five years. Declining earnings will inevitably lead to the company paying a lower dividend in line with lower profits. 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.

Our Thoughts On Exchange Income's Dividend

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 company has been bring in plenty of cash to cover the dividend, but we don't necessarily think that makes it a great dividend stock. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Just as an example, we've come across 4 warning signs for Exchange Income you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.

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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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