Updated on October 15th, 2024 by Felix Martinez
Extendicare (EXETF) has two appealing investment characteristics:
#1: It is a high-yield stock based on its 5.2% dividend yield.
Related: List of 5%+ yielding stocks.
#2: It pays dividends monthly instead of quarterly.
Related: List of monthly dividend stocks
You can download our full Excel spreadsheet of all monthly dividend stocks (along with metrics that matter, like dividend yield and payout ratio) by clicking on the link below:
The combination of a high dividend yield and a monthly dividend makes Extendicare appealing to income-oriented investors. In addition, the company is ideally positioned to benefit from the secular growth of demand for healthcare services. In this article, we will discuss Extendicare’s prospects.
Business Overview
Through its subsidiaries, Extendicare provides care and services for seniors in Canada. The company offers long-term care (LTC) services, home health care services, such as nursing care, occupational, physical, and speech therapy, assistance with daily activities, and contract and consulting services to third parties. It operates LTC homes, retirement communities, and home healthcare operations under the Extendicare, ParaMed, Extendicare Assist, and SGP Partner Network brands. The company was incorporated in 1968 and is based in Markham, Canada.
Extendicare operates or provides contract services to a network of 103 long-term care homes and retirement communities (52 owned/71 contract services), providing approximately 10.5 million hours of home health care services per year.
Source: Investor Presentation
Extendicare has been hurt by the coronavirus crisis, which has caused many problems in the company’s daily operations. COVID-19, influenza, and other viruses have resulted in abnormally high employee absenteeism, thus exacerbating an already tight labor market. As a result, Extendicare has seen its operating costs increase significantly since the onset of the coronavirus crisis.
The company reported strong second-quarter 2024 financial results, with adjusted EBITDA growing by $19.7 million, reaching $34.5 million. This improvement was driven by increased funding in long-term care (LTC) and home health care, along with volume growth in both areas. The company’s home health care services saw a 10.8% rise in average daily volume, while LTC occupancy increased to 97.8%. Extendicare also expanded its managed services, adding more beds under management and benefiting from the Revera and Axium transactions. Significant asset sales contributed additional income, with the company completing sales of a 256-bed LTC project and a vacated LTC home.
Financial highlights for Q2 2024 included a 13.3% revenue increase to $348.5 million, driven by higher LTC funding, occupancy improvements, and growth in managed services. Net operating income (NOI) rose to $52.8 million, with adjusted EBITDA climbing to $38.6 million. Net earnings for the quarter surged by $23.9 million to $25.9 million. Extendicare’s strong operational performance, combined with favorable demographic trends, supports its outlook for sustained growth across all business segments. The company’s liquidity remains solid, with $136.4 million in cash and access to additional credit.
For the first six months of 2024, Extendicare’s revenue grew by 13.2% to $715.6 million, and net earnings reached $39 million, reflecting improved performance across LTC, home health care, and managed services. The company’s strategic transactions, including the Revera and Axium deals, contributed to its overall growth and profitability. Extendicare remains focused on long-term care redevelopment and plans to continue leveraging its financial strength and operational improvements to drive future growth.
Growth Prospects
Extendicare is ideally positioned to benefit from a strong secular trend, namely the growing demand for healthcare services. The demand for health care from seniors who are above 85 years old is growing at a 4% average annual rate.
Source: Investor Presentation
Moreover, there is an immense backlog of demand for long-term care beds, with more than 39,000 seniors waiting for a bed in Ontario alone. According to official estimates, there will be a need for more than 200,000 new long-term care beds in Canada by 2035. Thanks to its 55-year experience in this business, Extendicare is ideally poised to benefit from the secular growth in the demand for health care services.
On the other hand, investors should be aware that Extendicare has exhibited a volatile performance record. Due to the aforementioned impact of the pandemic on its business, the company has not grown its earnings per share over the last decade. Therefore, the stock is suitable only for patient investors, who can endure extended periods of poor business performance and stock price volatility and remain focused in the long run. Given the low comparison base formed this year, we expect the company to grow its earnings per share by about 5.0% per year on average over the next five years.
Dividend & Valuation Analysis
Extendicare is currently offering a 5.2% dividend yield. It is thus an interesting candidate for income-oriented investors but the latter should be aware that the dividend may fluctuate significantly over time due to the fluctuation of the exchange rates between the Canadian dollar and the USD.
The company has a decent payout ratio of 68%. On the bright side, its net debt is standing at $441 million, which is 80% of its market capitalization, and hence it is manageable. To cut a long story short, the 5.2% dividend is not likely to be cut in the near future, but it is not entirely safe in the long run, given the material interest expense of the company.
Moreover, Extendicare has not grown its dividend (in USD) over the last ten years, partly due to the devaluation of the Canadian dollar vs. the USD. Therefore, it is prudent for investors not to expect material dividend growth going forward.
In reference to the valuation, Extendicare is currently trading for 12.9 times its earnings per share in the last 12 months. We assume a fair price-to-earnings ratio of 10.0 for the stock. Therefore, the current earnings multiple is higher than our assumed fair price-to-earnings ratio. If the stock trades at its fair valuation level in five years, it will have a -2.2% annualized compression annually for the next five years.
Taking into account the 5% annual growth of earnings per share, the 5.2% dividend, and a -2.2% annualized compression of valuation level, Extendicare could offer a 8% average annual total return over the next five years. This is certainly an fair expected return. Nevertheless, the stock is suitable only for patient investors who are comfortable with the volatile business performance and the stock price of Extendicare.
Final Thoughts
Extendicare has a solid business model and greatly benefits from the growing demand for healthcare services. The stock offers an attractive dividend yield of 5.2% with a healthy payout ratio of 68%, making it an attractive candidate for the portfolios of income-oriented investors. The stock has an expected return of 8% per year over the next five years.
On the other hand, investors should be aware of the risk resulting from the company’s somewhat weak balance sheet and its choppy business performance. Therefore, the stock is suitable only for patient investors, who can ignore stock price volatility and remain focused in the long run.
Moreover, Extendicare is characterized by exceptionally low trading volume. This means that it is hard to establish or sell a large position in this stock.
Don’t miss the resources below for more monthly dividend stock investing research.
- The Monthly Dividend Stocks List
- 20 Highest Yielding Monthly Dividend Stocks
- 10 Cheapest Monthly Dividend Stocks
- 10 Safest Monthly Dividend Stocks
- 3 Top ‘Hold Forever’ Monthly Dividend Stocks
And see the resources below for more compelling investment ideas for dividend growth stocks and/or high-yield investment securities.
- Dividend Kings: 50+ years of rising dividends
- Dividend Champions: 25+ years of rising dividends
- Dividend Aristocrats: 25+ years of rising dividends and in the S&P 500
- Dividend Achievers: 10+ years of rising dividends and in the NASDAQ
- High Dividend Stocks: 4%+ dividend yields
- Blue Chip Stock: Kings, Aristocrats, and Achievers
- MLPs: List of MLPs and more
- REITs: List of REITs and more
- BDCs: List of BDCs and more