ELP (KOSDAQ:063760) Will Pay A Dividend Of ₩50.00

The board of ELP Corporation (KOSDAQ:063760) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ₩50.00 per share on the 27th of April. This makes the dividend yield 2.7%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

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ELP Might Find It Hard To Continue The Dividend

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. While ELP is not profitable, it is paying out less than 75% of its free cash flow, which means that there is plenty left over for reinvestment into the business. We generally think that cash flow is more important than accounting measures of profit, so we are fairly comfortable with the dividend at this level.

Over the next year, EPS might fall by 62.0% based on recent performance. While this means that the company will be unprofitable, we generally believe cash flows are more important, and the current cash payout ratio is quite healthy, which gives us comfort.

See our latest analysis for ELP

ELP's Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

Even in its relatively short history, the company has reduced the dividend at least once. Due to this, we are a little bit cautious about the dividend consistency over a full economic cycle. The annual payment during the last 6 years was ₩75.00 in 2019, and the most recent fiscal year payment was ₩50.00. This works out to be a decline of approximately 6.5% per year over that time. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

Given that dividend payments have been shrinking like a glacier in a warming world, we need to check if there are some bright spots on the horizon. Earnings per share has been sinking by 62% over the last 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.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. In the past, the payments have been unstable, but over the short term the dividend could be reliable, with the company generating enough cash to cover it. We don't think ELP 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. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for ELP (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about. 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.