Computime Group's (HKG:320) Dividend Is Being Reduced To HK$0.0475

Computime Group Limited's (HKG:320) dividend is being reduced from last year's payment covering the same period to HK$0.0475 on the 11th of October. The dividend yield of 8.6% is still a nice boost to shareholder returns, despite the cut.

View our latest analysis for Computime Group

Computime Group's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Computime Group's earnings were much higher than the dividend, but it wasn't converting those earnings into cash flow. In general, we consider cash flow to be more important than earnings, so we would be cautious about relying on the sustainability of this dividend.

EPS is set to fall by 8.0% over the next 12 months if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 47%, which is definitely feasible to continue.

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 an annual total of HK$0.018 in 2012 to the most recent total annual payment of HK$0.0475. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 10% over that duration. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Computime Group has seen earnings per share falling at 8.0% per year over the last five years. A modest decline in earnings isn't great, and it makes it quite unlikely that the dividend will grow in the future unless that trend can be reversed.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

Overall, the dividend looks like it may have been a bit high, which explains why it has now been cut. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

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. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Computime Group (of which 2 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.