4 Days Left To Cash In On Telecom Service One Holdings Limited (HKG:3997) Dividend

Attention dividend hunters! Telecom Service One Holdings Limited (HKG:3997) will be distributing its dividend of HK$0.01 per share on the 15 March 2019, and will start trading ex-dividend in 4 days time on the 05 March 2019. Investors looking for higher income-generating stocks to add to their portfolio should keep reading, as I take a deeper dive into Telecom Service One Holdings's latest financial data to analyse its dividend attributes.

See our latest analysis for Telecom Service One Holdings

5 checks you should use to assess a dividend stock

Whenever I am looking at a potential dividend stock investment, I always check these five metrics:

• Is their annual yield among the top 25% of dividend payers?
• Has it consistently paid a stable dividend without missing a payment or drastically cutting payout?
• Has the amount of dividend per share grown over the past?
• Can it afford to pay the current rate of dividends from its earnings?
• Based on future earnings growth, will it be able to continue to payout dividend at the current rate?

How does Telecom Service One Holdings fare?

The current trailing twelve-month payout ratio for the stock is 81%, which means that the dividend is covered by earnings. Furthermore, analysts have not forecasted a dividends per share for the future, which makes it hard to determine the yield shareholders should expect, and whether the current payout is sustainable, moving forward.

When thinking about whether a dividend is sustainable, another factor to consider is the cash flow. A business with strong cash flow can sustain a higher divided payout ratio than a company with weak cash flow.

Reliablity is an important factor for dividend stocks, particularly for income investors who want a strong track record of payment and a positive outlook for future payout. Unfortunately, it is really too early to view Telecom Service One Holdings as a dividend investment. It has only been consistently paying dividends for 5 years, however, standard practice for reliable payers is to look for a 10-year minimum track record.

In terms of its peers, Telecom Service One Holdings has a yield of 3.7%, which is high for Commercial Services stocks but still below the market's top dividend payers.

Next Steps:

Now you know to keep in mind the reason why investors should be careful investing in Telecom Service One Holdings for the dividend. But if you are not exclusively a dividend investor, the stock could still be an interesting investment opportunity. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, you should always research extensively before deciding whether or not a stock is an appropriate investment for you. I always recommend analysing the company's fundamentals and underlying business before making an investment decision. I've put together three important aspects you should look at:

1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 3997’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 3997’s outlook.
2. Valuation: What is 3997 worth today? Even if the stock is a cash cow, it's not worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether 3997 is currently mispriced by the market.
3. Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here.

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.