CSE Global (SGX:544) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of SGD0.015

The board of CSE Global Limited (SGX:544) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 20th of May, with investors receiving SGD0.015 per share. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 6.4%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for CSE Global

CSE Global's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Prior to this announcement, CSE Global's dividend made up quite a large proportion of earnings but only 55% of free cash flows. Since the dividend is just paying out cash to shareholders, we care more about the cash payout ratio from which we can see plenty is being left over for reinvestment in the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 71.2% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 47%, which would make us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend, despite the levels currently being quite high.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The dividend has gone from an annual total of SGD0.0425 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of SGD0.0275. The dividend has shrunk at around 4.3% a year during that period. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.

The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited

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. Over the past five years, it looks as though CSE Global's EPS has declined at around 4.9% a year. A modest decline in earnings isn't great, and it makes it quite unlikely that the dividend will grow in the future unless that trend can be reversed. Earnings are forecast to grow over the next 12 months and if that happens we could still be a little bit cautious until it becomes a pattern.

We should note that CSE Global has issued stock equal to 10% of shares outstanding. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective.

In Summary

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. The payments haven't been particularly stable and we don't see huge growth potential, but with the dividend well covered by cash flows it could prove to be reliable over the short term. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

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. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for CSE Global that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is CSE Global 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.