Continental Holdings' (TWSE:3703) Shareholders Will Receive A Smaller Dividend Than Last Year

Continental Holdings Corporation's (TWSE:3703) dividend is being reduced from last year's payment covering the same period to NT$1.50 on the 31st of July. Despite the cut, the dividend yield of 4.2% will still be comparable to other companies in the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Continental Holdings

Continental Holdings Doesn't Earn Enough To Cover Its Payments

We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Before making this announcement, Continental Holdings was paying out a fairly large proportion of earnings, and it wasn't generating positive free cash flows either. This is a pretty unsustainable practice, and could be risky if continued for the long term.

Looking forward, EPS could fall by 5.8% if the company can't turn things around from the last few years. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, the payout ratio in 12 months could be 96%, which is definitely a bit high to be sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The annual payment during the last 10 years was NT$0.476 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was NT$1.50. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 12% per annum over that time. It is great to see strong growth in the dividend payments, but cuts are concerning as it may indicate the payout policy is too ambitious.

Dividend Growth Is Doubtful

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Over the past five years, it looks as though Continental Holdings' EPS has declined at around 5.8% 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.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

Overall, the dividend looks like it may have been a bit high, which explains why it has now been cut. The track record isn't great, and the payments are a bit high to be considered sustainable. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Just as an example, we've come across 2 warning signs for Continental Holdings you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant. 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.