GP Industries' (SGX:G20) Dividend Will Be SGD0.01

GP Industries Limited's (SGX:G20) investors are due to receive a payment of SGD0.01 per share on 22nd of August. The yield is still above the industry average at 3.9%.

Check out our latest analysis for GP Industries

GP Industries' Distributions May Be Difficult To Sustain

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. GP Industries is unprofitable despite paying a dividend, and it is paying out 124% of its free cash flow. This is quite a strong warning sign that the dividend may not be sustainable.

Recent, EPS has fallen by 23.2%, so this could continue over the next year. This will push the company into unprofitability, which means the managers will have to choose between suspending the dividend, or paying it out of cash reserves.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of SGD0.032 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of SGD0.02. The dividend has shrunk at around 4.6% a year during that period. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

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. GP Industries' earnings per share has shrunk at 23% a year over the past 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.

GP Industries' Dividend Doesn't Look Great

In summary, it's not great to see that the dividend is being cut, but it is probably understandable given that the current payment level was quite high. The company seems to be stretching itself a bit to make such big payments, but it doesn't appear they can be consistent over time. Considering all of these factors, we wouldn't rely on this dividend if we wanted to live on the income.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 3 warning signs for GP Industries that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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