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 Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings Limited (HKG:423) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be one business day before the record date which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Therefore, if you purchase Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings' shares on or after the 10th of August, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 8th of September.

The company's next dividend payment will be HK$0.07 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of HK$0.10 per share. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings has a trailing yield of 8.5% on the current share price of HK$1.17. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to investigate whether Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

View our latest analysis for Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings distributed an unsustainably high 157% of its profit as dividends to shareholders last year. Without more sustainable payment behaviour, the dividend looks precarious. 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. It paid out 81% of its free cash flow as dividends, which is within usual limits but will limit the company's ability to lift the dividend if there's no growth.

It's good to see that while Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings's dividends were not covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a cash perspective. If executives were to continue paying more in dividends than the company reported in profits, we'd view this as a warning sign. Extraordinarily few companies are capable of persistently paying a dividend that is greater than their profits.

Click here to see how much of its profit Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 17% a year over the previous five years. When earnings per share fall, the maximum amount of dividends that can be paid also falls.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings has lifted its dividend by approximately 5.2% a year on average. The only way to pay higher dividends when earnings are shrinking is either to pay out a larger percentage of profits, spend cash from the balance sheet, or borrow the money. Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings is already paying out 157% of its profits, and with shrinking earnings we think it's unlikely that this dividend will grow quickly in the future.

To Sum It Up

Has Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? Earnings per share have been shrinking in recent times. Additionally, Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings is paying out quite a high percentage of its earnings, and more than half its cash flow, so it's hard to evaluate whether the company is reinvesting enough in its business to improve its situation. It's not that we think Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings is a bad company, but these characteristics don't generally lead to outstanding dividend performance.

With that in mind though, if the poor dividend characteristics of Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings don't faze you, it's worth being mindful of the risks involved with this business. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings (of which 1 can't be ignored!) you should know about.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top 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.