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Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Smart-Core Holdings Limited (HKG:2166) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 12th of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of September.
Smart-Core Holdings's next dividend payment will be HK$0.02 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of HK$0.06 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Smart-Core Holdings has a trailing yield of 4.8% on the current share price of HK$1.26. 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! As a result, readers should always check whether Smart-Core Holdings has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
See our latest analysis for Smart-Core Holdings
Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. That's why it's good to see Smart-Core Holdings paying out a modest 41% of its earnings. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Fortunately, it paid out only 36% of its free cash flow in the past year.
It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.
Click here to see how much of its profit Smart-Core Holdings paid out over the last 12 months.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That's why it's comforting to see Smart-Core Holdings's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 118% per annum for the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing very quickly, and the company is paying out a relatively low percentage of its profit and cash flow. This is a very favourable combination that can often lead to the dividend multiplying over the long term, if earnings grow and the company pays out a higher percentage of its earnings.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Smart-Core Holdings has delivered an average of 22% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past 2 years of dividend payments. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.