W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE:WTI) will pay a dividend of $0.01 on the 26th of November. The dividend yield is 2.0% based on this payment, which is a little bit low compared to the other companies in the industry.
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It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable. Even in the absence of profits, W&T Offshore is paying a dividend. The company is also yet to generate cash flow, so the dividend sustainability is definitely questionable.
Analysts expect the EPS to grow by 46.9% over the next 12 months. The company seems to be going down the right path, but it will take a little bit longer than a year to cross over into profitability. Unless this can be done in short order, the dividend might be difficult to sustain.
Check out our latest analysis for W&T Offshore
The company has maintained a consistent dividend for a few years now, but we would like to see a longer track record before relying on it. The most recent annual payment of $0.04 is about the same as the annual payment 2 years ago. It’s good to see at least some dividend growth. Yet with a relatively short dividend paying history, we wouldn’t want to depend on this dividend too heavily.
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company’s stock based on its dividend history. Unfortunately things aren’t as good as they seem. W&T Offshore’s earnings per share has shrunk at 24% a year over the past five years. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future. It’s not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months – we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.
Overall, this isn’t a great candidate as an income investment, even though the dividend was stable this year. The company seems to be stretching itself a bit to make such big payments, but it doesn’t appear they can be consistent over time. We don’t think that this is a great candidate to be an income stock.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. To that end, W&T Offshore has 3 warning signs (and 2 which shouldn’t be ignored) 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.