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3 Days To Buy Convenience Retail Asia Limited (HKG:831) Before The Ex-Dividend Date

It looks like Convenience Retail Asia Limited (HKG:831) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 29th of August in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 12th of September.

Convenience Retail Asia's upcoming dividend is HK$0.06 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of HK$0.22 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Convenience Retail Asia has a trailing yield of 5.8% on the current stock price of HK$3.8. 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 Convenience Retail Asia has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Convenience Retail Asia

Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Its dividend payout ratio is 88% of profit, which means the company is paying out a majority of its earnings. The relatively limited profit reinvestment could slow the rate of future earnings growth We'd be concerned if earnings began to decline. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. Dividends consumed 74% of the company's free cash flow last year, which is within a normal range for most dividend-paying organisations.

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 Convenience Retail Asia paid out over the last 12 months.

SEHK:831 Historical Dividend Yield, August 25th 2019
SEHK:831 Historical Dividend Yield, August 25th 2019

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. This is why it's a relief to see Convenience Retail Asia earnings per share are up 5.1% per annum over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests Convenience Retail Asia has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. If management lifts the payout ratio further, we'd take this as a tacit signal that the company's growth prospects are slowing.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, Convenience Retail Asia has lifted its dividend by approximately 12% a year on average. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders.

Final Takeaway

Should investors buy Convenience Retail Asia for the upcoming dividend? Earnings per share growth has been unremarkable, and while the company is paying out a majority of its earnings and cash flow in the form of dividends, the dividend payments don't appear excessive. While it does have some good things going for it, we're a bit ambivalent and it would take more to convince us of Convenience Retail Asia's dividend merits.

Keen to explore more data on Convenience Retail Asia's financial performance? Check out our visualisation of its historical revenue and earnings growth.

A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.

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