Dividend investing in Singapore for beginners

Dividend investing has always been an attractive investment strategy to Singaporeans because it generates passive income for us. It is a popular way to earn additional income, or build your investment portfolio towards retirement.

High dividend stocks have historically outperformed the market, especially during periods of greater market volatility.

Let’s explore how dividend investing can help you achieve your financial goals. 

What is dividend investing?

Dividend investing refers to selecting stocks from companies or real estate investment trusts (Reits) that are able to pay out relatively high and consistent dividends. These corporations are usually established with a strong history of stable earnings.

For investors with this strategy, deciding between Reits and stocks can be a tough decision. To determine which might better suit your investment needs, click here to learn about the differences in dividend returns between Reits and stocks.

How is a dividend payout calculated?

For example, company X pays a $0.50 annual dividend per share of its stock. 

If you own 1,000 shares of company X for $10 each, your total investment value is $10,000. Over the course of a year, you will receive a dividend payout of $500 ($0.50 x 1,000 shares). That would mean a yield of 5% if the share price stays at $10.

Dividend payouts can be paid at different times — typically quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. 

How do you identify good dividend stocks?

Key metrics

Payout ratio

There is no ideal number for a good dividend payout ratio as it is dependent on the sector that the company is in. Instead, look out for companies that give a consistent and stable payout ratio.

Dividend yield

Again, there is no ideal number for a good dividend yield. More importantly, if you do find a company with high dividend yield, look further into the company’s underlying financial strength to determine its ability to generate consistent payouts in the future.

Dividend growth rate 

This is a less common measurement but still a good gauge of a company’s future dividend growth. If it has a strong history of dividend growth, it signals that the company is profitable in the long term and future dividend growth is likely. 

Benefits of dividend investing

Generates passive income

Being able to secure investment returns from payments is one of the biggest benefits. This makes it more attractive than growth investing. Even though growth stocks may have larger capital appreciation, returns are not realised unless you sell your investment holdings. With this additional source of income, it can help you to meet your financial goals in the short term as well.

Less volatility and lower risk

During periods of economic instability, stable and dividend-paying companies tend to endure economic downturns better than other companies because of their strong financial foundation. This explains why they usually have a long record of reliable and stable growth, even if it is slower. With less volatility and lower risk, dividend stocks are hence great for capital preservation while earning passive income from dividend payments.  

Dividends grow together with company's profits

Some may be turned off by the idea that dividend stocks are boring. Still, if you invest in a dividend paying company with increasing profitability, your dividends grow steadily, giving you the freedom to use that growing passive income.

Here are some examples of top dividend-yielding companies (including Reits) of the Straits Times Index (STI) in Singapore. 

Dividend investing is no sure bet

To be clear, dividend payouts are a variable amount or percentage of the share price. 

Companies may have a dividend policy that serves as a more assuring guide, but it is not guaranteed. That means dividends can be skipped or lowered. 

Investors should also keep their eye out for companies that have been raising their regular dividend payouts and are running sustainable businesses that justify the payouts. If a company is not profitable, it will have less available funds to fund the dividend payouts.

It is very important for investors to look closely at the financial status of the company. Some unprofitable companies may appear to be giving a stable payout, but that might be simply because the share price has been falling, which is artificially boosting its yield figure.

Ensure that the dividend growth is financed by increasing profits of the company instead of debt. A company may choose to take on new debt in order to pay a special dividend to private investors or shareholders, and this is known as dividend recapitalisation. There may be a risk that the company is unable to withstand the additional debt.

When a company decides to reinvest their income, the money will be pumped back into the business to boost the company’s growth, instead of being used to pay out dividends to shareholders. This may thus disappoint investors who have the sole intention of getting dividends, unless they are convinced that the money could be reinvested to accelerate growth, which promises stronger dividends later.

Finally, when companies do not meet their expected earnings or are facing diminishing earnings, their stock price may fall as many investors decide to dump the shares. That will mean lower capital gains for investors.

Dividend investing strategies

Dividend investing can be a very powerful and sustainable investment strategy for passive income. To optimise your dividend investments and tackle the risks, here are some tips.

Invest in companies with stable payouts, rising dividend growth rate

Since there is a risk of companies cutting their dividends, there is no guarantee that you will receive a stable payout. However, you can lower this risk by focusing on a company’s ability to increase and consistently distribute dividends, instead of its dividend yield. 

One easy way is to study a company’s financial profile:

1. Total revenue: tells us the ability of the company to sell its products
2. Net income: tells us the ability of the company to make profits
3. Cash flow from operating activities: tells us the ability of the firm to pay off its liabilities 

This would be a signal that the company is profitable and has a healthy cash flow to maintain a steady dividend payout.

Building your dividend investment portfolio with Endowus funds

Besides investing in single dividend stocks, you may also consider investing in dividend-yielding funds that give you a diversified exposure to various sectors or markets and can help you create a more robust portfolio.

Here are some of the higher-yielding funds you can invest in with Endowus through our Fund Smart platform.

You can pick and choose from our curated list of funds that suits your investment needs. These funds are chosen for their robust levels of payouts and that are backed by unique investment strategies. With our 100% cashback on trailer fees and allowing access to institutional share class funds, you will get the most cost efficient solution on Endowus.

For more income options, you may also explore the Endowus Income Portfolios.

Next on the Endowus Fin.Lit Academy

Read the next article in the curriculum: Income investing: how to invest for regular income

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