Weyco Group (NASDAQ:WEYS) Will Pay A Dividend Of US$0.24

Weyco Group, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:WEYS) investors are due to receive a payment of US$0.24 per share on 30th of September. The dividend yield will be 4.1% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

View our latest analysis for Weyco Group

Weyco Group Doesn't Earn Enough To Cover Its Payments

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Prior to this announcement, the company was paying out 213% of what it was earning, however the dividend was quite comfortably covered by free cash flows at a cash payout ratio of only 17%. Generally, we think cash is more important than accounting measures of profit, so with the cash flows easily covering the dividend, we don't think there is much reason to worry.

Looking forward, EPS could fall by 21.6% if the company can't turn things around from the last few years. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could reach 282%, which could put the dividend under pressure if earnings don't start to improve.

Weyco Group Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2011, the dividend has gone from US$0.64 to US$0.96. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 4.1% over that duration. Although we can't deny that the dividend has been remarkably stable in the past, the growth has been pretty muted.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. However, things aren't all that rosy. Earnings per share has been sinking by 22% over the last five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough.

In Summary

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Weyco Group's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. The company is generating plenty of cash, but we still think the dividend is a bit high for comfort. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. To that end, Weyco Group has 4 warning signs (and 1 which is concerning) we think you should know about. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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