China CITIC Bank Corporation Limited (HKG:998) Looks Interesting, And It's About To Pay A Dividend

Readers hoping to buy China CITIC Bank Corporation Limited (HKG:998) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. This means that investors who purchase China CITIC Bank's shares on or after the 25th of June will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 18th of July.

The company's upcoming dividend is CN¥0.356 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of CN¥0.36 per share to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that China CITIC Bank has a trailing yield of 7.6% on the current share price of HK$5.04. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

View our latest analysis for China CITIC Bank

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. China CITIC Bank paid out a comfortable 28% of its profit last year.

Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. This is why it's a relief to see China CITIC Bank earnings per share are up 5.7% per annum over the last five years.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the past 10 years, China CITIC Bank has increased its dividend at approximately 3.5% a year on average. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.

Final Takeaway

Is China CITIC Bank an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? China CITIC Bank has seen its earnings per share grow slowly in recent years, and the company reinvests more than half of its profits in the business, which generally bodes well for its future prospects. Overall, China CITIC Bank looks like a promising dividend stock in this analysis, and we think it would be worth investigating further.

So while China CITIC Bank looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for China CITIC Bank and you should be aware of these before buying any shares.

A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield dividend stocks.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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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