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Consolidated Water's (NASDAQ:CWCO) Dividend Will Be US$0.085

The board of Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ:CWCO) has announced that it will pay a dividend of US$0.085 per share on the 29th of July. This makes the dividend yield 2.4%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that Consolidated Water's stock price has increased by 34% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

View our latest analysis for Consolidated Water

Consolidated Water's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Based on the last payment, Consolidated Water's profits didn't cover the dividend, but the company was generating enough cash instead. Generally, we think cash is more important than accounting measures of profit, so with the cash flows easily covering the dividend, we don't think there is much reason to worry.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 77.3%. Assuming the dividend continues along the course it has been charting recently, our estimates show the payout ratio being 67% which brings it into quite a comfortable range.

historic-dividend
historic-dividend

Consolidated Water Has A Solid Track Record

Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from US$0.30 to US$0.34. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 1.3% per annum over that time. Although we can't deny that the dividend has been remarkably stable in the past, the growth has been pretty muted.

Consolidated Water May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. However, Consolidated Water's EPS was effectively flat over the past five years, which could stop the company from paying more every year.

Our Thoughts On Consolidated Water's Dividend

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Consolidated Water's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. 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 don't think Consolidated Water is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. To that end, Consolidated Water has 6 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about. 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.