Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Mandarin Oriental International Limited (SGX:M04) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 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 as the process of settlement involves two full business days. So if you miss that date, you would not show up on the company's books on the record date. This means that investors who purchase Mandarin Oriental International's shares on or after the 17th of August will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 11th of October.

The company's next dividend payment will be US$0.015 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.03 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Mandarin Oriental International stock has a trailing yield of around 1.8% on the current share price of $1.67. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. As a result, readers should always check whether Mandarin Oriental International has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

See our latest analysis for Mandarin Oriental International

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. Mandarin Oriental International reported a loss after tax last year, which means it's paying a dividend despite being unprofitable. While this might be a one-off event, this is unlikely to be sustainable in the long term.

Click here to see how much of its profit Mandarin Oriental International paid out over the last 12 months.

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. Mandarin Oriental International was unprofitable last year and, unfortunately, the general trend suggests its earnings have been in decline over the last five years, making us wonder if the dividend is sustainable at all.

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Mandarin Oriental International's dividend payments per share have declined at 8.1% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring. While it's not great that earnings and dividends per share have fallen in recent years, we're encouraged by the fact that management has trimmed the dividend rather than risk over-committing the company in a risky attempt to maintain yields to shareholders.

Remember, you can always get a snapshot of Mandarin Oriental International's financial health, by checking our visualisation of its financial health, here.

Final Takeaway

Should investors buy Mandarin Oriental International for the upcoming dividend? Mandarin Oriental International doesn't appear to have a lot going for it, and we're not inclined to take a risk on owning it for the dividend.

With that being said, if you're still considering Mandarin Oriental International as an investment, you'll find it beneficial to know what risks this stock is facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Mandarin Oriental International you should know about.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks.

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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.