Lee & Man Chemical's (HKG:746) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year

Lee & Man Chemical Company Limited's (HKG:746) dividend will be increasing on the 3rd of September to HK$0.26, with investors receiving 247% more than last year. This takes the dividend yield from 4.0% to 7.1%, which shareholders will be pleased with.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that Lee & Man Chemical's stock price has increased by 42% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

See our latest analysis for Lee & Man Chemical

Lee & Man Chemical's Earnings Easily Cover the Distributions

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Before making this announcement, Lee & Man Chemical was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

If the trend of the last few years continues, EPS will grow by 32.8% over the next 12 months. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 33% 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. The dividend has gone from HK$0.18 in 2011 to the most recent annual payment of HK$0.24. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 2.9% over that duration. We're glad to see the dividend has risen, but with a limited rate of growth and fluctuations in the payments the total shareholder return may be limited.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. We are encouraged to see that Lee & Man Chemical has grown earnings per share at 33% per year over the past five years. Earnings have been growing rapidly, and with a low payout ratio we think that the company could turn out to be a great dividend stock.

We Really Like Lee & Man Chemical's Dividend

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. 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. 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 2 warning signs for Lee & Man Chemical that investors should take into consideration. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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