Ausnutria Dairy (HKG:1717) Is Paying Out Less In Dividends Than Last Year

Ausnutria Dairy Corporation Ltd (HKG:1717) is reducing its dividend from last year's comparable payment to CN¥0.05 on the 25th of June. This means that the dividend yield is 2.1%, which is a bit low when comparing to other companies in the industry.

View our latest analysis for Ausnutria Dairy

Ausnutria Dairy's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. Before making this announcement, Ausnutria Dairy was earning enough to cover the dividend, but it wasn't generating any free cash flows. No cash flows could definitely make returning cash to shareholders difficult, or at least mean the balance sheet will come under pressure.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 167.9%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 21% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Ausnutria Dairy's Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

It's comforting to see that Ausnutria Dairy has been paying a dividend for a number of years now, however it has been cut at least once in that time. This suggests that the dividend might not be the most reliable. Since 2016, the annual payment back then was CN¥0.025, compared to the most recent full-year payment of CN¥0.0461. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.0% a year over that time. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Ausnutria Dairy's EPS has fallen by approximately 27% per year during the past five years. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future. 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.

Ausnutria Dairy's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, the dividend looks like it may have been a bit high, which explains why it has now been cut. While Ausnutria Dairy is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We don't think Ausnutria Dairy is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. 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. Very few businesses see earnings consistently shrink year after year in perpetuity though, and so it might be worth seeing what the 4 analysts we track are forecasting for the future. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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