Asia Cement's (TWSE:1102) Dividend Will Be Reduced To NT$2.10

Asia Cement Corporation (TWSE:1102) is reducing its dividend from last year's comparable payment to NT$2.10 on the 16th of August. The yield is still above the industry average at 4.8%.

See our latest analysis for Asia Cement

Asia Cement's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Asia Cement's earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to fall by 10.7%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could reach 80%, which is definitely on the higher side.

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$1.76 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was NT$2.10. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 1.8% a year over that time. We're glad to see the dividend has risen, but with a limited rate of growth and fluctuations in the payments the total shareholder return may be limited.

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. It's not great to see that Asia Cement's earnings per share has fallen at approximately 4.1% per year over the past five years. Declining earnings will inevitably lead to the company paying a lower dividend in line with lower profits.

In Summary

Overall, it's not great to see that the dividend has been cut, but this might be explained by the payments being a bit high previously. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We don't think Asia Cement 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. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. To that end, Asia Cement has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) 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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