G-SHANK Enterprise (TWSE:2476) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At NT$2.50

G-SHANK Enterprise Co., Ltd.'s (TWSE:2476) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to NT$2.50 on 9th of September. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 2.3% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that G-SHANK Enterprise's stock price has increased by 48% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

Check out our latest analysis for G-SHANK Enterprise

G-SHANK Enterprise's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. The last payment was quite easily covered by earnings, but it made up 363% of cash flows. While the company may be more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business at this time, we think that a cash payout ratio this high might expose the dividend to being cut if the business ran into some challenges.

Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 13.9% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 55% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was NT$1.74 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was NT$2.50. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 3.7% 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 Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. G-SHANK Enterprise has impressed us by growing EPS at 14% per year over the past five years. While on an earnings basis, this company looks appealing as an income stock, the cash payout ratio still makes us cautious.

In Summary

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We don't think G-SHANK Enterprise is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. To that end, G-SHANK Enterprise has 3 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield 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.

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