MTR Corp Ltd's Dividend Analysis

In This Article:

An In-depth Look at Upcoming Dividends and Historical Performance

MTR Corp Ltd (MTRJF) recently announced a dividend of $0.89 per share, payable on 2024-07-16, with the ex-dividend date set for 2024-05-24. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into MTR Corp Ltd's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does MTR Corp Ltd Do?

MTR constructs and operates Hong Kong's rail network, giving it a monopoly position. In addition to rail operation, the firm makes recurring income from commercial business within the stations. This includes rental of retail outlets and advertisement within the station and investment properties in shopping malls above stations. Residential real estate development forms part of MTR's return for the rail operation. In a normalized environment, average operating profit is approximately 20% in rail operation, 60% in station commercial and property leasing business, and 20% in property development. The Hong Kong government owns 75% of MTR.

MTR Corp Ltd's Dividend Analysis
MTR Corp Ltd's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at MTR Corp Ltd's Dividend History

MTR Corp Ltd has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2003. Dividends are currently distributed on a bi-annually basis. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends.

MTR Corp Ltd's Dividend Analysis
MTR Corp Ltd's Dividend Analysis

Breaking Down MTR Corp Ltd's Dividend Yield and Growth

As of today, MTR Corp Ltd currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.98% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 4.98%. This suggests an expectation of same dividend payments over the next 12 months. Over the past three years, MTR Corp Ltd's annual dividend growth rate was 2.10%. Extended to a five-year horizon, this rate increased to 3.90% per year. And over the past decade, MTR Corp Ltd's annual dividends per share growth rate stands at 4.90%.

Based on MTR Corp Ltd's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of MTR Corp Ltd stock as of today is approximately 6.03%.

MTR Corp Ltd's Dividend Analysis
MTR Corp Ltd's Dividend Analysis

The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability

To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of 2023-12-31, MTR Corp Ltd's dividend payout ratio is 1.27, suggesting that the company's dividend may not be sustainable.