Chow Sang Sang Holdings International (HKG:116) Will Pay A Smaller Dividend Than Last Year

Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Limited (HKG:116) is reducing its dividend from last year's comparable payment to HK$0.15 on the 30th of September. However, the dividend yield of 8.3% is still a decent boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for Chow Sang Sang Holdings International

Chow Sang Sang Holdings International's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Chow Sang Sang Holdings International's earnings. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 36.1% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 36% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was HK$0.68, compared to the most recent full-year payment of HK$0.55. Doing the maths, this is a decline of about 2.1% per year. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Chow Sang Sang Holdings International has seen earnings per share falling at 6.4% per year over the last five years. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends. Earnings are forecast to grow over the next 12 months and if that happens we could still be a little bit cautious until it becomes a pattern.

Our Thoughts On Chow Sang Sang Holdings International's Dividend

Overall, it's not great to see that the dividend has been cut, but this might be explained by the payments being a bit high previously. The payments haven't been particularly stable and we don't see huge growth potential, but with the dividend well covered by cash flows it could prove to be reliable over the short term. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Chow Sang Sang Holdings International that investors should take into consideration. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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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.