This high yield looks sustainable

Article Excerpt

EXTENDICARE INC. $6.45 remains a buy. The operator of long-term care (LTC) homes (Toronto symbol EXE; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 84.3 million; Market cap: $543.7 million; Dividend yield: 7.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Average; www.extendicare.com) continues to pay monthly distributions of $0.04 a share; the annual rate of $0.48 yields a very high 7.4%. The company’s revenue rose 3.7% in the quarter ended June 30, 2023, to $307.5 million from $296.6 million a year earlier. The gain was mainly due to increased government funding and higher long-term-care occupancy rates. Its cash flow decreased 6.0%, to $9.04 million from $9.62 million. Excluding one-time items, cash flow per share increased 37.5%, to $0.11 from $0.08. The company’s projected fiscal 2023 cash flow of $0.53 should rise to $0.56 for 2024. Extendicare is a buy. buy…