"The company's long-term outlook remains good over the next six months of operations and beyond," said Cambodian casino operator Nagakov, who said he was confident financial performance could be affected by the current coronavirus crisis.
The Hong Kong-listed company said in a commentary included in its 2019 final results release filed on Monday, "Whatever opinion the company has, the company is pleased to have decided to recommend 80% of net income generated in the second half of 2019 as a final dividend," or 0.0509 per share. That compares with a final dividend of 0.0291 per share in 2018.
"This is the first time the company has decided to declare a special 'bonus' in the form of an unusually high dividend for all shareholders this year after 25 years of group operations," Nagakov said.
"We need to review, evaluate and revise our dividend declaration policy where appropriate, in line with the position of the coronavirus crisis, the global business environment, etc.," it added.
Tourism around Southeast Asia, especially businesses involving Chinese tourists, has plummeted due to the novel coronavirus, which originated in mainland China. Authorities in the region have introduced several measures to reduce travel for people from China to reduce the risk of further spread of the coronavirus.
In a recent announcement, Nagakov said increased tourism in Cambodia contributed to business growth, with tourists arriving from mainland China up 20% in the first 11 months of this year.
China offers most of the kingdom's tourist arrivals, and mainland gamblers are widely considered one of their most valuable customers for Asia-Pacific casino operators. Nagakov noted that there were more than 2.2 million arrivals from mainland China to Cambodia, including from January to November last year.
BY: 메이저사이트