Asia Financial Holdings (HKG:662) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year

Asia Financial Holdings Limited's (HKG:662) dividend will be increasing to HK$0.10 on 10th of June. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 4.2%.

Check out our latest analysis for Asia Financial Holdings

Asia Financial Holdings' Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. However, prior to this announcement, Asia Financial Holdings' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

If the trend of the last few years continues, EPS will grow by 14.0% over the next 12 months. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 19% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least 1 cut in the last 10 years. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was HK$0.08 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was HK$0.14. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.1% a year over that time. We like to see dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. We are encouraged to see that Asia Financial Holdings has grown earnings per share at 14% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.

We Really Like Asia Financial Holdings' Dividend

Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Asia Financial Holdings is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Asia Financial Holdings that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated 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.