CK Asset Holdings Limited (HKG:1113) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 7th of September will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 17th of September.
CK Asset Holdings’s upcoming dividend is HK$0.34 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of HK$2.10 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, CK Asset Holdings has a trailing yield of approximately 5.0% on its current stock price of HK$41.7. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether CK Asset Holdings has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
Check out our latest analysis for CK Asset Holdings
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. Fortunately CK Asset Holdings’s payout ratio is modest, at just 35% of profit. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. The good news is it paid out just 20% 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 here to see the company’s payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
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. This is why it’s a relief to see CK Asset Holdings earnings per share are up 4.5% per annum over the last five years. Earnings per share growth in recent times has not been a standout. However, companies that see their growth slow can often choose to pay out a greater percentage of earnings to shareholders, which could see the dividend continue to rise.
The main way most investors will assess a company’s dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. CK Asset Holdings has delivered 25% dividend growth per year on average over the past five years. It’s encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.
Final Takeaway
From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid CK Asset Holdings? Earnings per share growth has been growing somewhat, and CK Asset Holdings is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow as dividends. This is interesting for a few reasons, as it suggests management may be reinvesting heavily in the business, but it also provides room to increase the dividend in time. We would prefer to see earnings growing faster, but the best dividend stocks over the long term typically combine significant earnings per share growth with a low payout ratio, and CK Asset Holdings is halfway there. Overall we think this is an attractive combination and worthy of further research.
In light of that, while CK Asset Holdings has an appealing dividend, it’s worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. Every company has risks, and we’ve spotted 2 warning signs for CK Asset Holdings you should know about.
A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising 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.
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