Housebuilder Persimmon (LSE: PSN) has seen its share price fall from last years highs, but share screening websites are flashing up the firms gigantic dividend yield of around 10%. Is there a catch? Sort of.
I reckon the most important thing to note is that Persimmon doesnt classify its dividend in the ordinary way. Instead, the firm announced a capital return plan back in 2012 in which it set out the payments it aimed to make to shareholders in the following years to 2021. So, the dividends we get from Persimmon are really classified as special rather than ordinary, which means they could stop whenever the directors decide there isnt enough spare cash left over to pay some back to shareholders.
Cyclical risks
However, Persimmon has since increased the amount it plans to return to shareholders because of good trading. Nevertheless, a special capital return plan suits the nature of the companys highly cyclical business. In 2012, I reckon the directors were anticipating a cyclical up-leg in trading.
Going forward, if the house building sector sees a downturn, its likely that dividend payments will be reduced or stop altogether. If that happens, the share price is likely to fall too. In the meantime, with profits riding high, I think theres a risk that the share price could drift lower as the stock market tries to anticipate the next cyclical downturn in trading. So, I see a danger that erosion of shareholders capital from a falling share price could neutralise dividend gains.
To me, Persimmon isnt a straightforward dividend investment at all, its a cyclical share before anything else, so Id be cautious with the share now. Yet cash flow has been holding up well and the firm has a nice pile of net cash on the balance sheet.
Year to December |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
Operating cash flow per share |
130p |
158p |
220p |
255p |
207p |
Net cash (m) |
378 |
570 |
913 |
1,303 |
1,048 |
The dividend record via the capital return plan is impressive, and earnings have been tearing upwards. The current plan for capital return runs to 2021 and we dont know what will happen after that. Looking forward, payments under the plan are set to remain at the current level for the next couple of years.
Year to December |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
Dividend per share |
70p |
95p |
110p |
135p |
235p |
Normalised earnings per share |
123p |
167p |
198p |
244p |
283p |
A bullish operational outlook
Februarys full-year results report was bullish, but the dynamics of the firms operating market can fluctuate and much of the firms trading outcome depends on general economic conditions.
On balance, if Id been holding the share since its 2019 lows, Id cash in my more than 900% capital gain. Now, despite the high dividend yield, I see too much downside risk for shareholders and will avoid the stock for the time being.
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