Telecom Digital Holdings Limited (HKG:6033) Stock Goes Ex-Dividend In Just Four Days

Readers hoping to buy Telecom Digital Holdings Limited (HKG:6033) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date is one business day before a company's record date, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Thus, you can purchase Telecom Digital Holdings' shares before the 11th of October in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 22nd of October.

The company's next dividend payment will be HK$0.06 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed HK$0.26 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Telecom Digital Holdings has a trailing yield of 7.9% on the current stock price of HK$3.31. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to investigate whether Telecom Digital Holdings can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

Check out our latest analysis for Telecom Digital Holdings

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. It paid out 78% of its earnings as dividends last year, which is not unreasonable, but limits reinvestment in the business and leaves the dividend vulnerable to a business downturn. We'd be worried about the risk of a drop in earnings. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Dividends consumed 69% of the company's free cash flow last year, which is within a normal range for most dividend-paying organisations.

It's positive to see that Telecom Digital Holdings's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

Click here to see how much of its profit Telecom Digital Holdings paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. This is why it's a relief to see Telecom Digital Holdings earnings per share are up 8.3% per annum over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests Telecom Digital Holdings has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. If management lifts the payout ratio further, we'd take this as a tacit signal that the company's growth prospects are slowing.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Telecom Digital Holdings has delivered an average of 31% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past seven years of dividend payments. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy Telecom Digital Holdings for the upcoming dividend? Earnings per share have been growing modestly and Telecom Digital Holdings paid out a bit over half of its earnings and free cash flow last year. Overall we're not hugely bearish on the stock, but there are likely better dividend investments out there.

If you're not too concerned about Telecom Digital Holdings's ability to pay dividends, you should still be mindful of some of the other risks that this business faces. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Telecom Digital Holdings and you should be aware of them before buying any shares.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

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.

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