Westwood Holdings Group's (NYSE:WHG) Dividend Will Be $0.15

The board of Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 2nd of October, with investors receiving $0.15 per share. The dividend yield will be 5.9% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for Westwood Holdings Group

Westwood Holdings Group Might Find It Hard To Continue The Dividend

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. While Westwood Holdings Group is not profitable, it is paying out less than 75% of its free cash flow, which means that there is plenty left over for reinvestment into the business. In general, cash flows are more important than the more traditional measures of profit so we feel pretty comfortable with the dividend at this level.

Looking forward, earnings per share could fall by 49.9% over the next year if the trend of the last few years can't be broken. While this means that the company will be unprofitable, we generally believe cash flows are more important, and the current cash payout ratio is quite healthy, which gives us comfort.

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 dividend has gone from an annual total of $1.60 in 2013 to the most recent total annual payment of $0.60. This works out to be a decline of approximately 9.3% per year over that time. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

Given that dividend payments have been shrinking like a glacier in a warming world, we need to check if there are some bright spots on the horizon. Over the past five years, it looks as though Westwood Holdings Group's EPS has declined at around 50% a year. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in.

Westwood Holdings Group's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For example, we've identified 3 warning signs for Westwood Holdings Group (1 is a bit concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing. 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.