Wah Ha Realty (HKG:278) Will Pay A Dividend Of HK$0.23

The board of Wah Ha Realty Company Limited (HKG:278) has announced that it will pay a dividend of HK$0.23 per share on the 28th of September. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 7.6%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Wah Ha Realty

Wah Ha Realty Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Wah Ha Realty was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.

EPS is set to fall by 12.8% over the next 12 months if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, the payout ratio in 12 months could be 120%, which is definitely a bit high to be sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was HK$0.20 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was HK$0.34. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.4% a year over that time. It's good to see the dividend growing at a decent rate, but the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Wah Ha Realty might have put its house in order since then, but we remain cautious.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

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. Wah Ha Realty's earnings per share has shrunk at 13% a year over the past five years. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future.

Our Thoughts On Wah Ha Realty's Dividend

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. 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. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Just as an example, we've come across 3 warning signs for Wah Ha Realty you should be aware of, and 1 of them shouldn't be ignored. Is Wah Ha Realty not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.