Is It Worth Considering China National Building Material Company Limited (HKG:3323) For Its Upcoming Dividend?

China National Building Material Company Limited (HKG:3323) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days time. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 26th of May will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 26th of June.

China National Building Material's upcoming dividend is HK$0.35 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of HK$0.35 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, China National Building Material stock has a trailing yield of around 4.0% on the current share price of HK$9.54. 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 China National Building Material has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for China National Building Material

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. That's why it's good to see China National Building Material paying out a modest 33% of its earnings. 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. The good news is it paid out just 7.2% of its free cash flow in the last year.

It's positive to see that China National Building Material's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks with flat earnings can still be attractive dividend payers, but it is important to be more conservative with your approach and demand a greater margin for safety when it comes to dividend sustainability. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that China National Building Material's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years. We'd take that over an earnings decline any day, but in the long run, the best dividend stocks all grow their earnings per share.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. China National Building Material has delivered an average of 26% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past ten years of dividend payments.

To Sum It Up

Is China National Building Material worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share have been flat, although at least the company is paying out a low and conservative percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's definitely not great to see earnings falling, but at least there may be some buffer before the dividend gets cut. Overall we're not hugely bearish on the stock, but there are likely better dividend investments out there.

So while China National Building Material looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Our analysis shows 3 warning signs for China National Building Material and you should be aware of these before buying any shares.

If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

Love or hate this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email 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. 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. Thank you for reading.