There is a lot to be liked about Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited (HKG:363) as an income stock. It has paid dividends over the past 10 years. The company currently pays out a dividend yield of 5.5% to shareholders, making it a relatively attractive dividend stock. Does Shanghai Industrial Holdings tick all the boxes of a great dividend stock? Below, I’ll take you through my analysis.

Check out our latest analysis for Shanghai Industrial Holdings

5 checks you should use to assess a dividend stock

If you are a dividend investor, you should always assess these five key metrics:

• Is its annual yield among the top 25% of dividend-paying companies?

• Has it paid dividend every year without dramatically reducing payout in the past?

• Has the amount of dividend per share grown over the past?

• Is its earnings sufficient to payout dividend at the current rate?

• Will it have the ability to keep paying its dividends going forward?

How well does Shanghai Industrial Holdings fit our criteria?

The company currently pays out 30% of its earnings as a dividend, according to its trailing twelve-month data, meaning the dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. In the near future, analysts are predicting a payout ratio of 32% which, assuming the share price stays the same, leads to a dividend yield of 5.7%. Furthermore, EPS is forecasted to fall to HK$3.2 in the upcoming year.

When considering the sustainability of dividends, it is also worth checking the cash flow of a company. A business with strong cash flow can sustain a higher divided payout ratio than a company with weak cash flow.

If dividend is a key criteria in your investment consideration, then you need to make sure the dividend stock you’re eyeing out is reliable in its payments. Whilst its per-share payments have increased during the past 10 years, there has been some hiccups. Investors have seen reductions in the dividend per share in the past, although, it has picked up again.

Relative to peers, Shanghai Industrial Holdings has a yield of 5.5%, which is high for Industrials stocks.

Next Steps:

Considering the dividend attributes we analyzed above, Shanghai Industrial Holdings is definitely worth keeping an eye on for someone looking to build a dedicated income portfolio. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, you should always research extensively before deciding whether or not a stock is an appropriate investment for you. I always recommend analysing the company’s fundamentals and underlying business before making an investment decision. I’ve put together three essential aspects you should look at:

1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 363’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 363’s outlook.

2. Historical Performance: What has 363’s returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity.

3. Other Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.