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Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad (KLSE:CARLSBG) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in three days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. Accordingly, Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad investors that purchase the stock on or after the 8th of December will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 29th of December.
The company’s next dividend payment will be RM0.19 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of RM0.88 to shareholders. Calculating the last year’s worth of payments shows that Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad has a trailing yield of 4.6% on the current share price of MYR18.96. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad’s dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it’s growing.
Check out our latest analysis for Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad
Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. It paid out 86% of its earnings as dividends last year, which is not unreasonable, but limits reinvestment in the business and leaves the dividend vulnerable to a business downturn. It could become a concern if earnings started to decline. 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. The company paid out 105% of its free cash flow over the last year, which we think is outside the ideal range for most businesses. Companies usually need cash more than they need earnings – expenses don’t pay themselves – so it’s not great to see it paying out so much of its cash flow.
While Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad’s dividends were covered by the company’s reported profits, cash is somewhat more important, so it’s not great to see that the company didn’t generate enough cash to pay its dividend. Were this to happen repeatedly, this would be a risk to Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad’s ability to maintain its dividend.
Click here to see the company’s payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
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. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. With that in mind, we’re encouraged by the steady growth at Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad, with earnings per share up 6.9% on average over the last five years. Earnings have been growing at a steady rate, but we’re concerned dividend payments consumed most of the company’s cash flow over the past year.
Another key way to measure a company’s dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the past 10 years, Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad has increased its dividend at approximately 3.4% a year on average. It’s encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.
The Bottom Line
Has Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad is paying out a reasonable percentage of its income and an uncomfortably high 105% of its cash flow as dividends. At least earnings per share have been growing steadily. Overall it doesn’t look like the most suitable dividend stock for a long-term buy and hold investor.
Having said that, if you’re looking at this stock without much concern for the dividend, you should still be familiar of the risks involved with Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we’ve spotted with Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad (including 1 which is potentially serious).
Generally, we wouldn’t recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here’s a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
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