Dividend Impact9 Sep 2018 19:52
We should be aware that dividend expectations (cited by many as a reason for holding long term) are likely to be significantly impacted, because the late appreciation of project detail and risk will almost certainly lead to an equity placing (since senior debt lenders and bond holders always look to the down-sides of projects). My belief is that it could have been a rights issue among loyal shareholders when sentiment was better, but not now. Such a placing is likely to be at a level that seriously dilutes the dividend earning capacity per share and thus a lower price than many here anticipate. Also, risk has not been lowered by placing it elsewhere, because if the contractor hit a brick wall, the contractor may be unable to deliver, in spite of taking on the risk.