UMS Holdings' (SGX:558) Dividend Will Be Increased To S$0.02

The board of UMS Holdings Limited (SGX:558) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend by 100% on the 20th of May to S$0.02. This takes the dividend yield from 3.6% to 4.1%, which shareholders will be pleased with.

See our latest analysis for UMS Holdings

UMS Holdings' Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. The last dividend was quite easily covered by UMS Holdings' earnings. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 25.0% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 50%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

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 S$0.021 to S$0.044. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.9% over that duration. We like to see dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. We are encouraged to see that UMS Holdings has grown earnings per share at 19% per year over the past five years. The company is paying a reasonable amount of earnings to shareholders, and is growing earnings at a decent rate so we think it could be a decent dividend stock.

We Really Like UMS Holdings' Dividend

Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that UMS Holdings is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for UMS Holdings that investors should take into consideration. Is UMS Holdings not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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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.