SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings (HKG:315) Is Increasing Its Dividend To HK$0.175

The board of SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings Limited (HKG:315) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of HK$0.175 on the 17th of November, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. This makes the dividend yield 7.8%, which is above the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings

SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Based on the last payment, SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings' profits didn't cover the dividend, but the company was generating enough cash instead. Given that the dividend is a cash outflow, we think that cash is more important than accounting measures of profit when assessing the dividend, so this is a mitigating factor.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 103.5%. Under the assumption that the dividend will continue along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 59% which would be quite comfortable going to take the dividend forward.

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 annual payment during the last 10 years was HK$1.06 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was HK$0.32. The dividend has fallen 70% over that period. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS is growing. Earnings per share has been sinking by 15% over the last five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough. 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.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings' payments are rock solid. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings that investors should take into consideration. 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.