Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited's (SGX:J36) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to $1.65 on 15th of May. This makes the dividend yield 5.6%, which is above the industry average.

View our latest analysis for Jardine Matheson Holdings

Jardine Matheson Holdings' Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, the company was paying out 95% of what it was earning, however the dividend was quite comfortably covered by free cash flows at a cash payout ratio of only 23%. Healthy cash flows are always a positive sign, especially when they quite easily cover the dividend.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 189.8% over the next year. Under the assumption that the dividend will continue along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 34% which would be quite comfortable going to take the dividend forward. historic-dividend

Jardine Matheson Holdings Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $1.35 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $2.25. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.2% a year over that time. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. Jardine Matheson Holdings' EPS has fallen by approximately 12% per year during the past five years. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future. Over the next year, however, earnings are actually predicted to rise, but we would still be cautious until a track record of earnings growth can be built.



In Summary

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The company has been bring in plenty of cash to cover the dividend, but we don't necessarily think that makes it a great dividend stock. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Jardine Matheson Holdings that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Jardine Matheson Holdings not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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