The board of Magnum Berhad (KLSE:MAGNUM) has announced that it will pay a dividend of MYR0.015 per share on the 18th of December. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 5.0%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Magnum Berhad

While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Magnum Berhad's earnings. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 35.6%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 47%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from MYR0.20 total annually to MYR0.06. This works out to a decline of approximately 70% over that time. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.

Given that the track record hasn't been stellar, we really want to see earnings per share growing over time. Magnum Berhad's earnings per share has shrunk at 12% 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. 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.

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Magnum Berhad's payments are rock solid. In the past, the payments have been unstable, but over the short term the dividend could be reliable, with the company generating enough cash to cover it. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Magnum Berhad that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.