Health is priceless; health care isn’t.
While PDL BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ:PDLI) is a unique example, it benefits from many of the unique elements of the health care industry that make it attractive for dividend investors. We all know it’s impossible to put a price on one’s health and well-being. Because of that, and due to the unbearable cost of emergency health problems, insurance companies and government entitlement programs have taken over as the gatekeepers of health care spending around the world.
But the industry’s high costs didn’t just appear out of thin air. Partly to blame is the fact that our insurance systems have effectively masked the direct costs of health care by turning the system into a kind of all-you-can-eat buffet, removing most of the consumer-driven pricing mechanisms that exist in practically every other industry. This dynamic, along with the aging and increasingly unhealthy society that we’re all well aware of, is a key reason health care spending will continue to grow.
But while these big picture trends might be driving the overall industry, investors looking at specific health care dividend stocks need to dig a layer deeper to understand the company-specific issues at work. After all, dividends aren’t a guarantee, and if the going gets tough enough, even a “stable” health care stock could cut — or eliminate — its dividend. With that being said, let’s check on where PDL BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ:PDLI)’s dividend has been, and try to determine where it’s going.
Payout ratios
A quick-and-dirty technique for checking a dividend’s sustainability is taking a look at something called the payout ratio. Typically this is expressed as a percentage, looking at a company’s dividend per share relative to its net income per share. That’s a decent start, but I prefer to use a slightly different measurement that replaces net income, an accounting measurement, with something more tangible — cold hard cash. The chart below shows how much of PDL BioPharma’s free cash flow has been eaten up by its dividend payments over the past two years. The lower the better, suggesting more capacity for future dividend hikes.
Not all dividends are created equal. At first glance a high dividend yield may look nice, but all too often it means a problem is lurking around the corner for a business. Looking at PDL BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ:PDLI)’s 8.4% dividend yield in isolation only tells part of the story, which is why investors need to have an understanding of how the market perceives a company prior to buying a stock. We can do this by comparing a few financial multiples, like price to earnings, to its peers in the industry.
Future growth
Up to this point, we’ve looked at PDL BioPharma’s dividend in the past, and we’ve also seen how its stock is being perceived by the market today. However, the most important factor to consider when understanding a dividend’s future is where the company’s cash flow is heading. It’s hard to generate more cash without growing sales, so let’s take a look at what industry analysts are expecting for PDL BioPharma’s revenue growth relative to peers this year.
Foolish bottom line
Don’t let PDL BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ:PDLI)’s falling payout ratio, seemingly cheap valuation, and above average revenue growth fool you — this is a dividend whose days are truly numbered.
That’s because the company’s revenue relies on royalties from its antibody humanization technology, and all of the patents for that technology expire by the end of 2014. If the company doesn’t find another avenue for growth, management could wind down operations and return all excess cash to shareholders sometime around 2016. That would make for a nice final dividend — and a worthless stock.
The article Does PDL BioPharma’s Dividend Have Room to Soar? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Brenton Flynn has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.
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