Is Datang Environment Industry Group Co., Ltd.'s (HKG:1272) 5.8% Dividend Worth Your Time?

Is Datang Environment Industry Group Co., Ltd. (HKG:1272) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. Yet sometimes, investors buy a popular dividend stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations.

In this case, Datang Environment Industry Group likely looks attractive to dividend investors, given its 5.8% dividend yield and four-year payment history. We'd agree the yield does look enticing. During the year, the company also conducted a buyback equivalent to around 0.6% of its market capitalisation. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying Datang Environment Industry Group for its dividend - read on to learn more.

Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Datang Environment Industry Group!

Payout ratios

Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. As a result, we should always investigate whether a company can afford its dividend, measured as a percentage of a company's net income after tax. Looking at the data, we can see that 44% of Datang Environment Industry Group's profits were paid out as dividends in the last 12 months. This is a medium payout level that leaves enough capital in the business to fund opportunities that might arise, while also rewarding shareholders. Besides, if reinvestment opportunities dry up, the company has room to increase the dividend.

Another important check we do is to see if the free cash flow generated is sufficient to pay the dividend. Datang Environment Industry Group's cash payout ratio last year was 1.7%, which is quite low and suggests that the dividend was thoroughly covered by cash flow. 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.

Consider getting our latest analysis on Datang Environment Industry Group's financial position here.

Dividend Volatility

One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. Datang Environment Industry Group has been paying a dividend for the past four years. This company's dividend has been unstable, and with a relatively short history, we think it's a little soon to draw strong conclusions about its long term dividend potential. During the past four-year period, the first annual payment was CN¥0.1 in 2017, compared to CN¥0.04 last year. This works out to a decline of approximately 64% over that time.

We struggle to make a case for buying Datang Environment Industry Group for its dividend, given that payments have shrunk over the past four years.

Dividend Growth Potential

With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS are growing. Over the past five years, it looks as though Datang Environment Industry Group's EPS have declined at around 24% a year. With this kind of significant decline, we always wonder what has changed in the business. Dividends are about stability, and Datang Environment Industry Group's earnings per share, which support the dividend, have been anything but stable.

Conclusion

To summarise, shareholders should always check that Datang Environment Industry Group's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. It's great to see that Datang Environment Industry Group is paying out a low percentage of its earnings and cash flow. Second, earnings per share have been in decline, and its dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Ultimately, Datang Environment Industry Group comes up short on our dividend analysis. It's not that we think it is a bad company - just that there are likely more appealing dividend prospects out there on this analysis.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. To that end, Datang Environment Industry Group has 4 warning signs (and 2 which are a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%.

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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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