Readers hoping to buy Get Nice Financial Group Limited (HKG:1469) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. This means that investors who purchase Get Nice Financial Group's shares on or after the 29th of August will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 7th of September.

The company's upcoming dividend is HK$0.03 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of HK$0.06 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Get Nice Financial Group stock has a trailing yield of around 9.1% on the current share price of HK$0.66. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

Check out our latest analysis for Get Nice Financial Group

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Last year Get Nice Financial Group paid out 100% of its profits as dividends to shareholders, suggesting the dividend is not well covered by earnings.

Generally, the higher a company's payout ratio, the more the dividend is at risk of being reduced.

Click here to see how much of its profit Get Nice Financial Group 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. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. Readers will understand then, why we're concerned to see Get Nice Financial Group's earnings per share have dropped 12% a year over the past five years. Such a sharp decline casts doubt on the future sustainability of the dividend.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Get Nice Financial Group has delivered 6.0% dividend growth per year on average over the past seven years. That's intriguing, but the combination of growing dividends despite declining earnings can typically only be achieved by paying out a larger percentage of profits. Get Nice Financial Group is already paying out a high percentage of its income, so without earnings growth, we're doubtful of whether this dividend will grow much in the future.

The Bottom Line

Should investors buy Get Nice Financial Group for the upcoming dividend? Earnings per share are in decline and Get Nice Financial Group is paying out what we feel is an uncomfortably high percentage of its profit as dividends. Generally we think dividend investors should avoid businesses in this situation, as high payout ratios and declining earnings can lead to the dividend being cut. These characteristics don't generally lead to outstanding dividend performance, and investors may not be happy with the results of owning this stock for its dividend.

With that in mind though, if the poor dividend characteristics of Get Nice Financial Group don't faze you, it's worth being mindful of the risks involved with this business. For example, we've found 2 warning signs for Get Nice Financial Group that we recommend you consider before investing in the business.

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.