High Fashion International's (HKG:608) Dividend Will Be Increased To HK$0.03

High Fashion International Limited's (HKG:608) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to HK$0.03 on 7th of October. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 5.6%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for High Fashion International

High Fashion International's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, High Fashion International was earning enough to cover the dividend, but free cash flows weren't positive. In general, we consider cash flow to be more important than earnings, so we would be cautious about relying on the sustainability of this dividend.

Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 26.0% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 14% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

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 2012, the annual payment back then was HK$0.20, compared to the most recent full-year payment of HK$0.09. The dividend has shrunk at around 7.7% a year during that period. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Given that the track record hasn't been stellar, we really want to see earnings per share growing over time. It's encouraging to see that High Fashion International has been growing its earnings per share at 26% a year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.

In Summary

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While the low payout ratio is redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For example, we've picked out 4 warning signs for High Fashion International that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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.