China Water Affairs Group (HKG:855) Will Pay A Dividend Of HK$0.16

China Water Affairs Group Limited (HKG:855) has announced that it will pay a dividend of HK$0.16 per share on the 18th of October. Based on this payment, the dividend yield will be 5.2%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

See our latest analysis for China Water Affairs Group

China Water Affairs Group's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. Before making this announcement, China Water Affairs Group was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 16.6%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 32%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

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. Since 2011, the dividend has gone from HK$0.06 to HK$0.31. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 18% a year over that time. 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.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. It's encouraging to see China Water Affairs Group has been growing its earnings per share at 21% a year over the past five years. Earnings per share is growing at a solid clip, and the payout ratio is low which we think is an ideal combination in a dividend stock as the company can quite easily raise the dividend in the future.

China Water Affairs Group Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

In summary, it is good to see that the dividend is staying consistent, and we don't think there is any reason to suspect this might change over the medium term. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Just as an example, we've come across 2 warning signs for China Water Affairs Group you should be aware of, and 1 of them is significant. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.

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