Interested In Deswell Industries' (NASDAQ:DSWL) Upcoming US$0.09 Dividend? You Have Four Days Left

Deswell Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:DSWL) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 20th of November in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 10th of December.

Deswell Industries's next dividend payment will be US$0.09 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.18 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Deswell Industries has a trailing yield of 6.2% on the current share price of $2.92. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

Check out our latest analysis for Deswell Industries

Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Deswell Industries paid a dividend last year despite being unprofitable. This might be a one-off event, but it's not a sustainable state of affairs in the long run. Considering the lack of profitability, we also need to check if the company generated enough cash flow to cover the dividend payment. If Deswell Industries didn't generate enough cash to pay the dividend, then it must have either paid from cash in the bank or by borrowing money, neither of which is sustainable in the long term. Luckily it paid out just 19% of its free cash flow last year.

Click here to see how much of its profit Deswell Industries paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. Deswell Industries reported a loss last year, but at least the general trend suggests its income has been improving over the past five years. Even so, an unprofitable company whose business does not quickly recover is usually not a good candidate for dividend investors.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Deswell Industries has seen its dividend decline 7.7% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see.

Get our latest analysis on Deswell Industries's balance sheet health here.

The Bottom Line

Has Deswell Industries got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? First, it's not great to see the company paying a dividend despite being loss-making over the last year. On the plus side, the dividend was covered by free cash flow." In summary, while it has some positive characteristics, we're not inclined to race out and buy Deswell Industries today.

While it's tempting to invest in Deswell Industries for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Deswell Industries and you should be aware of them before buying any shares.

If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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