Ban Leong Technologies Limited (SGX:B26) is reducing its dividend from last year's comparable payment to SGD0.0175 on the 18th of August. However, the dividend yield of 6.4% is still a decent boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Ban Leong Technologies

Ban Leong Technologies' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, Ban Leong Technologies' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 2.2% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 53% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2013, the dividend has gone from SGD0.011 total annually to SGD0.025. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 8.6% over that duration. It's good to see the dividend growing at a decent rate, but the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Ban Leong Technologies might have put its house in order since then, but we remain cautious.

Ban Leong Technologies May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Earnings has been rising at 2.2% per annum over the last five years, which admittedly is a bit slow. Growth of 2.2% per annum is not particularly high, which might explain why the company is paying out a higher proportion of earnings. This isn't bad in itself, but unless earnings growth pick up we wouldn't expect dividends to grow either.

Our Thoughts On Ban Leong Technologies' Dividend

Even though the dividend was cut this year, we think Ban Leong Technologies has the ability to make consistent payments in the future. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company's dividend track record isn't stellar. Taking all of this into consideration, the dividend looks viable moving forward, but investors should be mindful that the company has pushed the boundaries of sustainability in the past and may do so again.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've picked out 2 warning signs for Ban Leong Technologies that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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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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