There's A Lot To Like About S.A.S. Dragon Holdings' (HKG:1184) Upcoming HK$0.15 Dividend

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see S.A.S. Dragon Holdings Limited (HKG:1184) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next three days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. In other words, investors can purchase S.A.S. Dragon Holdings' shares before the 10th of September in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 27th of September.

The company's next dividend payment will be HK$0.15 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed HK$0.32 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, S.A.S. Dragon Holdings stock has a trailing yield of around 7.0% on the current share price of HK$4.5. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. As a result, readers should always check whether S.A.S. Dragon Holdings has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

Check out our latest analysis for S.A.S. Dragon Holdings

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. S.A.S. Dragon Holdings paid out a comfortable 35% of its profit last year. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether S.A.S. Dragon Holdings generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 43% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.

It's positive to see that S.A.S. Dragon 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 S.A.S. Dragon Holdings paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. That's why it's comforting to see S.A.S. Dragon Holdings's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 47% per annum for the past five years. S.A.S. Dragon Holdings is paying out less than half its earnings and cash flow, while simultaneously growing earnings per share at a rapid clip. Companies with growing earnings and low payout ratios are often the best long-term dividend stocks, as the company can both grow its earnings and increase the percentage of earnings that it pays out, essentially multiplying the dividend.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. S.A.S. Dragon Holdings has delivered 17% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy S.A.S. Dragon Holdings for the upcoming dividend? S.A.S. Dragon Holdings has grown its earnings per share while simultaneously reinvesting in the business. Unfortunately it's cut the dividend at least once in the past 10 years, but the conservative payout ratio makes the current dividend look sustainable. S.A.S. Dragon Holdings looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely.

So while S.A.S. Dragon Holdings looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Our analysis shows 3 warning signs for S.A.S. Dragon Holdings that we strongly recommend you have a look at before investing in the company.

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.

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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.
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