JTC (LON:JTC) Is Increasing Its Dividend To £0.0824

The board of JTC PLC (LON:JTC) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of £0.0824 on the 27th of June, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. Even though the dividend went up, the yield is still quite low at only 1.5%.

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JTC's Projections Indicate Future Payments May Be Unsustainable

Estimates Indicate JTC's Could Struggle to Maintain Dividend Payments In The Future

JTC's Future Dividends May Potentially Be At Risk

The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. JTC is not generating a profit, but its free cash flows easily cover the dividend, leaving plenty for reinvestment in the business. In general, cash flows are more important than the more traditional measures of profit so we feel pretty comfortable with the dividend at this level.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to grow rapidly. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we could see the payout ratio reach 238%, which is on the unsustainable side.

View our latest analysis for JTC

JTC Doesn't Have A Long Payment History

Even though the company has been paying a consistent dividend for a while, we would like to see a few more years before we feel comfortable relying on it. The annual payment during the last 7 years was £0.02 in 2018, and the most recent fiscal year payment was £0.125. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 30% per annum over that time. It is always nice to see strong dividend growth, but with such a short payment history we wouldn't be inclined to rely on it until a longer track record can be developed.

Dividend Growth Is Doubtful

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. However, things aren't all that rosy. In the last five years, JTC's earnings per share has shrunk at approximately 9.7% per annum. If earnings continue declining, the company may have to make the difficult choice of reducing the dividend or even stopping it completely - the opposite of dividend growth. 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 always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think JTC's payments are rock solid. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. 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. Without at least some growth in earnings per share over time, the dividend will eventually come under pressure either from competition or inflation. Businesses can change though, and we think it would make sense to see what analysts are forecasting for the company. Is JTC not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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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.