Ashley Services Group Limited (ASX:ASH) Is About To Go Ex-Dividend, And It Pays A 5.5% Yield
Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Ashley Services Group Limited (ASX:ASH) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 2nd of March, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 18th of March.
Ashley Services Group's upcoming dividend is AU$0.018 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of AU$0.027 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Ashley Services Group stock has a trailing yield of around 5.5% on the current share price of A$0.495. 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! We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.
Check out our latest analysis for Ashley Services Group
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. Its dividend payout ratio is 83% of profit, which means the company is paying out a majority of its earnings. The relatively limited profit reinvestment could slow the rate of future earnings growth. We'd be worried about the risk of a drop in earnings. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It distributed 29% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.
It's positive to see that Ashley Services Group's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.
Click here to see how much of its profit Ashley Services Group paid out over the last 12 months.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. Ashley Services Group's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 20% a year over the previous five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Ashley Services Group's dividend payments per share have declined at 8.5% per year on average over the past six years, which is uninspiring. It's never nice to see earnings and dividends falling, but at least management has cut the dividend rather than potentially risk the company's health in an attempt to maintain it.
Final Takeaway
Has Ashley Services Group got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? We're not enthused by the declining earnings per share, although at least the company's payout ratio is within a reasonable range, meaning it may not be at imminent risk of a dividend cut. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about Ashley Services Group from a dividend perspective.
If you want to look further into Ashley Services Group, it's worth knowing the risks this business faces. For example, we've found 3 warning signs for Ashley Services Group that we recommend you consider before investing in the business.
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.
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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