China Oriental Group Company Limited (HKG:581)'s Could Be A Buy For Its Upcoming Dividend

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It looks like China Oriental Group Company Limited (HKG:581) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 15th of July will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 6th of August.

China Oriental Group's next dividend payment will be CN¥0.18 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of CN¥0.32 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that China Oriental Group has a trailing yield of 8.2% on the current share price of HK$4.42. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether China Oriental Group can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

See our latest analysis for China Oriental Group

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. China Oriental Group paid out just 20% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. The good news is it paid out just 16% of its free cash flow in the last year.

It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.

Click this link to see the company's income payout ratio, plus what analysts are forecasting for its future payout ratio.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. That's why it's comforting to see China Oriental Group's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 107% per annum for the past five years.

China Oriental Group earnings per share have been sprinting ahead like the Road Runner at a track and field day; scarcely stopping even for a cheeky "beep-beep". We also like that it is reinvesting most of its profits in its business.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last 10 years, China Oriental Group has lifted its dividend by approximately 11% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.

Final Takeaway

Has China Oriental Group got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? It's great that China Oriental Group is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's disappointing to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past, but as things stand now, the low payout ratio suggests a conservative approach to dividends, which we like. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.

Curious what other investors think of China Oriental Group? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow .

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.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.