High yields may signal big risk

Article Excerpt

High-yielding stocks can provide a great boost to a portfolio’s returns, and quality dividends are much more reliable than capital gains. Investors still earn negligible returns on their fixed-return investments. This can lead some to buy high-yield stocks indiscriminately. But investment income can dry up in a heartbeat. Companies are sometimes unable to honour their commitments, and they spring the bad news on investors with no warning. High dividend yields can give you a false sense of security. Rather than a sign of a bargain, an unusually high yield may be a danger sign. A falling price makes yield go up (because you use the latest dividend to calculate yield). But when dividends are cut or halted, yield collapses. All in all, that’s why we place so much emphasis on our Dividend Sustainability Rating. Rating…