Ashmore Group (LON:ASHM) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of £0.121

Ashmore Group Plc (LON:ASHM) has announced that it will pay a dividend of £0.121 per share on the 8th of December. This makes the dividend yield 9.9%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

See our latest analysis for Ashmore Group

Ashmore Group Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

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 136% 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.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 0.9% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could reach 136%, which could put the dividend under pressure if earnings don't start to improve.

Ashmore Group 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 2013, the annual payment back then was £0.151, compared to the most recent full-year payment of £0.169. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 1.1% a year over that time. Dividends have grown relatively slowly, which is not great, but some investors may value the relative consistency of the dividend.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. However, things aren't all that rosy. Ashmore Group's EPS has fallen by approximately 11% per year during the past five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough.

Ashmore Group's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Ashmore Group's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. Although they have been consistent in the past, we think the payments are a little high to be sustained. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Ashmore Group that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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.