Tai Cheung Holdings (HKG:88) Has Announced A Dividend Of HK$0.12

Tai Cheung Holdings Limited (HKG:88) has announced that it will pay a dividend of HK$0.12 per share on the 5th of January. This payment means that the dividend yield will be 5.8%, which is around the industry average.

Our analysis indicates that 88 is potentially overvalued!

Tai Cheung Holdings Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. Despite not generating a profit, Tai Cheung Holdings is still paying a dividend. Along with this, it is also not generating free cash flows, which raises concerns about the sustainability of the dividend.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to grow rapidly. If recent patterns in the dividend continues, we would start to get a bit worried, with the payout ratio possibly reaching 200%.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of HK$0.30 in 2012 to the most recent total annual payment of HK$0.24. The dividend has shrunk at around 2.2% a year during that period. 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.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

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. Over the past five years, it looks as though Tai Cheung Holdings' EPS has declined at around 59% a year. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.

Tai Cheung Holdings' Dividend Doesn't Look Great

In summary, while it is good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we think that at current levels the payment isn't particularly sustainable. The company's earnings aren't high enough to be making such big distributions, and it isn't backed up by strong growth or consistency either. We don't think that this is a great candidate to be an income stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Tai Cheung Holdings that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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.