Luolai Lifestyle Technology Co., Ltd. (SZSE:002293) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 2 days. The ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. Accordingly, Luolai Lifestyle Technology investors that purchase the stock on or after the 17th of June will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 17th of June.
The company's next dividend payment will be CN¥0.40 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of CN¥0.40 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Luolai Lifestyle Technology has a trailing yield of 4.6% on the current stock price of CN¥8.72. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Luolai Lifestyle Technology's dividend is reliable and sustainable. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing.
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. Luolai Lifestyle Technology paid out more than half (69%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. 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 86% 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 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 the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies with falling earnings are riskier for dividend shareholders. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. So we're not too excited that Luolai Lifestyle Technology's earnings are down 2.4% a year over the past five years.
Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last 10 years, Luolai Lifestyle Technology has lifted its dividend by approximately 12% a year on average. That's interesting, but the combination of a growing dividend despite declining earnings can typically only be achieved by paying out more of the company's profits. This can be valuable for shareholders, but it can't go on forever.
Final Takeaway
Is Luolai Lifestyle Technology worth buying for its dividend? It's never good to see earnings per share shrinking, but at least the dividend payout ratios appear reasonable. We're aware though that if earnings continue to decline, the dividend could be at risk. It's not that we think Luolai Lifestyle Technology is a bad company, but these characteristics don't generally lead to outstanding dividend performance.
Although, if you're still interested in Luolai Lifestyle Technology and want to know more, you'll find it very useful to know what risks this stock faces. Our analysis shows 1 warning sign for Luolai Lifestyle Technology and you should be aware of this before buying any shares.
Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.
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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.