Does an 8.5% yield make WAM Capital shares a slam-dunk buy?

I think most ASX dividend investors would agree that seeing a popular ASX income share trading with a dividend yield of 8.5% is well worth a second look. That’s exactly what’s on display with WAM Capital Ltd (ASX: WAM) shares right now.

Yep, WAM Capital shares are currently trading at a price of $1.82. At this price, this dividend share and listed investment company (LIC) is indeed trading with a trailing dividend yield of 8.49% at the time of writing.

That’s more than double what you could expect from a term deposit or savings account right now. And well north of what most popular ASX dividend shares are paying investors at the moment.

So does this make WAM Capital shares a slam-dunk buy for income?

As with any investment offering such an outsized yield, it’s worth digging a little deeper to determine whether this is a compelling cash flow opportunity or a dreaded dividend trap.

Is the 8.5% yield on WAM Capital shares too good to be true?

Well, WAM Capital shares’ 8.5% yield is indeed legitimate. The company paid out two dividends over 2025. The interim dividend that was doled out in April, as well as October’s final dividend, were both worth 7.75 cents per share. That annual total of 15.5 cents per share gets us to that 8.49% yield at the current $1.82 WAM Capital share price. In an added bonus for investors, those payments also came with some franking credits attached. Both payments were partially franked at 60%.

However, as any good dividend investor knows, dividend yields represent the past, not the future. For WAM to truly be a slam-dunk buy for income, investors would need to have a high degree of confidence that this LIC is able to continue to fund annual dividend payments of at least 15.5 cents per share for the foreseeable future. And that’s where some red flags start to pop up.

Each month, WAM Capital tells investors how much cash it has in its ‘profit reserve’, which funds its dividends. This profit reserve is filled by both the underlying dividends that WAM Capital receives from its portfolio, as well as the proceeds of stock sales.

As of 31 December, this profit reserve stood at 21.1 cents per share. That means that WAM Capital only has enough cash to cover its payouts for about 18 months. As such, future dividends are highly dependent on this company’s ability to continue to pick the right stocks.

Risk and reward

Now, it could get lucky. But there’s also not much of a cushion for mistakes or misfortune. And unfortunately, WAM Capital’s recent share price track record is not fantastic. If you had bought shares of this company five years ago today, you would have lost 18.5% of your capital investment. Over that same period, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up a healthy 35% or so.

The market doesn’t let high-quality dividend payers sit with an 8.5% dividend yield for long. As such, the market consensus is that WAM Capital’s dividend is highly likely to be unsustainable and that this stock is a high-risk investment. Now, things could work out well for WAM Capital shares. But they might also continue to go pear-shaped. And based on this company’s recent performance, it’s not a bet I’d be willing to take.

The post Does an 8.5% yield make WAM Capital shares a slam-dunk buy? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.