Wenfeng Great World Chain Development Corporation (SHSE:601010) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in two days. 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 important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. Therefore, if you purchase Wenfeng Great World Chain Development's shares on or after the 26th of June, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 26th of June.

The company's upcoming dividend is CN¥0.04803 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of CN¥0.048 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Wenfeng Great World Chain Development has a trailing yield of approximately 2.7% on its current stock price of CN¥1.76. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Wenfeng Great World Chain Development has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Wenfeng Great World Chain Development paid out 67% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. What's good is that dividends were well covered by free cash flow, with the company paying out 3.4% of its cash flow last 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 Wenfeng Great World Chain Development paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with falling earnings are riskier for dividend shareholders. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Wenfeng Great World Chain Development's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 10% a year over the previous five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Wenfeng Great World Chain Development has seen its dividend decline 10% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see. It's never nice to see earnings and dividends falling, but at least management has cut the dividend rather than potentially risk the company's health in an attempt to maintain it.

To Sum It Up

Is Wenfeng Great World Chain Development an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? The payout ratios are within a reasonable range, implying the dividend may be sustainable. Declining earnings are a serious concern, however, and could pose a threat to the dividend in future. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about Wenfeng Great World Chain Development from a dividend perspective.

So if you want to do more digging on Wenfeng Great World Chain Development, you'll find it worthwhile knowing the risks that this stock faces. Our analysis shows 2 warning signs for Wenfeng Great World Chain Development that we strongly recommend you have a look at before investing in the company.

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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.

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