A-Rank Berhad's (KLSE:ARANK) Dividend Will Be MYR0.025

A-Rank Berhad (KLSE:ARANK) will pay a dividend of MYR0.025 on the 18th of December. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 4.7%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for A-Rank Berhad

A-Rank Berhad's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Before making this announcement, A-Rank Berhad was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 5.5% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 29% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was MYR0.0161 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was MYR0.025. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 4.5% over that duration. It's encouraging to see some dividend growth, but the dividend has been cut at least once, and the size of the cut would eliminate most of the growth anyway, which makes this less attractive as an income investment.

The Dividend Has Growth Potential

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. It's encouraging to see that A-Rank Berhad has been growing its earnings per share at 5.5% a year over the past five years. A-Rank Berhad definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.

In Summary

In summary, we are pleased with the dividend remaining consistent, and we think there is a good chance of this continuing in the future. The dividend has been at reasonable levels historically, but that hasn't translated into a consistent payment. Taking all of this into consideration, the dividend looks viable moving forward, but investors should be mindful that the company has pushed the boundaries of sustainability in the past and may do so again.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 2 warning signs for A-Rank Berhad that you should be aware of before investing. 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.