The board of San-Ai Obbli Co., Ltd. (TSE:8097) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥50.00 per share on the 29th of June. This means the annual payment is 4.9% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.
A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. The last payment made up 89% of earnings, but cash flows were much higher. Since the dividend is just paying out cash to shareholders, we care more about the cash payout ratio from which we can see plenty is being left over for reinvestment in the business.
Earnings per share could rise by 1.5% over the next year if things go the same way as they have for the last few years. If the dividend continues on its recent course, the payout ratio in 12 months could be 104%, which is a bit high and could start applying pressure to the balance sheet.
View our latest analysis for San-Ai Obbli
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was ¥16.50, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥100.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 20% over that duration. We can see that payments have shown some very nice upward momentum without faltering, which provides some reassurance that future payments will also be reliable.
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Unfortunately, San-Ai Obbli's earnings per share has been essentially flat over the past five years, which means the dividend may not be increased each year. Earnings are not growing quickly at all, and the company is paying out most of its profit as dividends. When the rate of return on reinvestment opportunities falls below a certain minimum level, companies often elect to pay a larger dividend instead. This is why many mature companies often have larger dividend yields.
In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about San-Ai Obbli's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. The company has been bring in plenty of cash to cover the dividend, but we don't necessarily think that makes it a great dividend stock. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for San-Ai Obbli that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.