Perennial Energy Holdings (HKG:2798) Will Pay A Smaller Dividend Than Last Year

Perennial Energy Holdings Limited (HKG:2798) is reducing its dividend from last year's comparable payment to CN¥0.05 on the 5th of July. This means the annual payment is 5.3% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Perennial Energy Holdings

Perennial Energy Holdings' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Perennial Energy Holdings is quite easily earning enough to cover the dividend, however it is being let down by weak cash flows. In general, we consider cash flow to be more important than earnings, so we would be cautious about relying on the sustainability of this dividend.

Over the next year, EPS could expand by 13.8% if recent trends continue. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 20% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Perennial Energy Holdings' Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

The track record isn't the longest, but we are already seeing a bit of instability in the payments. Since 2020, the annual payment back then was CN¥0.0207, compared to the most recent full-year payment of CN¥0.046. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 22% per annum over that time. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

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. It's encouraging to see that Perennial Energy Holdings has been growing its earnings per share at 14% a year over the past five years. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.

Our Thoughts On Perennial Energy Holdings' Dividend

Overall, the dividend looks like it may have been a bit high, which explains why it has now been cut. While Perennial Energy Holdings is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Perennial Energy Holdings that investors should take into consideration. Is Perennial Energy Holdings not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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