Heineken Malaysia Berhad (KLSE:HEIM) Is Increasing Its Dividend To RM0.66

Heineken Malaysia Berhad's (KLSE:HEIM) dividend will be increasing to RM0.66 on 28th of July. This takes the dividend yield from 3.6% to 3.6%, which shareholders will be pleased with.

View our latest analysis for Heineken Malaysia Berhad

Heineken Malaysia Berhad's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Before making this announcement, Heineken Malaysia Berhad was paying out quite a large proportion of both earnings and cash flow, with the dividend being 104% of cash flows. Paying out such a high proportion of cash flows can expose the business to needing to cut the dividend if the business runs into some challenges.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 13.5%. If the dividend continues growing along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could reach 88%, which is on the higher side, but certainly still feasible.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from RM0.54 to RM0.81. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.1% a year over that time. Modest growth in the dividend is good to see, but we think this is offset by historical cuts to the payments. It is hard to live on a dividend income if the company's earnings are not consistent.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

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. Heineken Malaysia Berhad has seen earnings per share falling at 2.9% per year over the last five years. Declining earnings will inevitably lead to the company paying a lower dividend in line with lower profits. Earnings are predicted to grow over the next year, but we would remain cautious until a track record of earnings growth is established.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Heineken Malaysia Berhad's payments are rock solid. The track record isn't great, and the payments are a bit high to be considered sustainable. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. 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 Heineken Malaysia Berhad that investors should take into consideration. 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.