Only 3 Days Left To Cash In On Suchuang Gas Corporation Limited's (HKG:1430) Dividend
Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Suchuang Gas Corporation Limited (HKG:1430) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 29th of May, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 16th of June.
The upcoming dividend for Suchuang Gas is HK$0.031 per share, increased from last year's total dividends per share of HK$0.028. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
View our latest analysis for Suchuang Gas
Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Suchuang Gas paid out a comfortable 36% of its profit last year. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. Fortunately, it paid out only 43% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's positive to see that Suchuang Gas's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.
Click here to see how much of its profit Suchuang Gas paid out over the last 12 months.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're discomforted by Suchuang Gas's 18% per annum decline in earnings in the past five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Since the start of our data, five years ago, Suchuang Gas has lifted its dividend by approximately 4.9% a year on average.
The Bottom Line
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Suchuang Gas? Earnings per share are down meaningfully, although at least the company is paying out a low and conservative percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's definitely not great to see earnings falling, but at least there may be some buffer before the dividend needs to be cut. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about Suchuang Gas from a dividend perspective.
In light of that, while Suchuang Gas has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. For example, we've found 2 warning signs for Suchuang Gas (1 can't be ignored!) that deserve your attention before investing in the shares.
We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
