Is It Worth Considering Sunway Berhad (KLSE:SUNWAY) For Its Upcoming Dividend?

It looks like Sunway Berhad (KLSE:SUNWAY) is about to go ex-dividend in the next four days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. In other words, investors can purchase Sunway Berhad's shares before the 21st of March in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 14th of April.

The company's next dividend payment will be RM0.015 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed RM0.02 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Sunway Berhad has a trailing yield of approximately 1.8% on its current stock price of MYR1.67. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! As a result, readers should always check whether Sunway Berhad has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Sunway Berhad

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Sunway Berhad paid out a comfortable 50% of its profit last year. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. The good news is it paid out just 23% of its free cash flow in the last year.

It's positive to see that Sunway Berhad's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. Readers will understand then, why we're concerned to see Sunway Berhad's earnings per share have dropped 14% a year over the past five years. Such a sharp decline casts doubt on the future sustainability of the dividend.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, nine years ago, Sunway Berhad has lifted its dividend by approximately 1.7% a year on average.

Final Takeaway

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Sunway Berhad? Sunway Berhad has comfortably low cash and profit payout ratios, which may mean the dividend is sustainable even in the face of a sharp decline in earnings per share. Still, we consider declining earnings to be a warning sign. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about Sunway Berhad from a dividend perspective.

In light of that, while Sunway Berhad has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. Our analysis shows 1 warning sign for Sunway Berhad and you should be aware of this before buying any shares.

Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are 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.