Yahoo Finance Morses Club (LON:MCL) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of UK£0.01
The board of Morses Club PLC (LON:MCL) has announced that it will pay a dividend of UK£0.01 per share on the 11th of February. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 6.1%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.
Check out our latest analysis for Morses Club
Morses Club's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Prior to this announcement, the company was paying out 353% of what it was earning. This situation certainly isn't ideal, and could place significant strain on the balance sheet if it continues.
Analysts expect a massive rise in earnings per share in the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate that the payout ratio could reach 47%, which is in a comfortable range for us.
Morses Club's Dividend Has Lacked Consistency
Looking back, the dividend has been unstable but with a relatively short history, we think it may be a bit early to draw conclusions about long term dividend sustainability. The first annual payment during the last 4 years was UK£0.064 in 2017, and the most recent fiscal year payment was UK£0.03. The dividend has fallen 53% over that period. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.
The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential
Given that the track record hasn't been stellar, we really want to see earnings per share growing over time. Morses Club's EPS has fallen by approximately 30% per year during the past five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.
We're Not Big Fans Of Morses Club's Dividend
Overall, while some might be pleased that the dividend wasn't cut, we think this may help Morses Club make more consistent payments in the future. The company's earnings aren't high enough to be making such big distributions, and it isn't backed up by strong growth or consistency either. The dividend doesn't inspire confidence that it will provide solid income in the future.
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 instance, we've picked out 5 warning signs for Morses Club that investors should take into consideration. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.
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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