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Western Forest Products (TSE:WEF) Will Pay A Dividend Of CA$0.0125

Western Forest Products Inc. (TSE:WEF) has announced that it will pay a dividend of CA$0.0125 per share on the 16th of September. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 3.3%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Western Forest Products

Western Forest Products' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Before making this announcement, Western Forest Products was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 40.4% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we believe the payout ratio could be 15%, which we are pretty comfortable with and we think is feasible on an earnings basis.

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historic-dividend

Western Forest Products' Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

It's comforting to see that Western Forest Products has been paying a dividend for a number of years now, however it has been cut at least once in that time. If the company cuts once, it definitely isn't argument against the possibility of it cutting in the future. Since 2013, the dividend has gone from CA$0.08 total annually to CA$0.05. Doing the maths, this is a decline of about 5.1% per year. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS is growing. Western Forest Products has impressed us by growing EPS at 13% per year over the past five years. Western Forest Products definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.

Western Forest Products Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

In summary, it is good to see that the dividend is staying consistent, and we don't think there is any reason to suspect this might change over the medium term. The earnings easily cover the company's distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. However, it is worth noting that the earnings are expected to fall over the next year, which may not change the long term outlook, but could affect the dividend payment in the next 12 months. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've identified 2 warning signs for Western Forest Products (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

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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