Y.A.C. Holdings Co., Ltd. (TSE:6298) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥20.00 per share on the 16th of July. This makes the dividend yield 3.8%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.
If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Before this announcement, Y.A.C. Holdings was paying out 81% of earnings, but a comparatively small 60% of free cash flows. 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.
If the trend of the last few years continues, EPS will grow by 104.4% over the next 12 months. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 47%, which would make us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend, despite the levels currently being quite high.
Check out our latest analysis for Y.A.C. Holdings
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was ¥10.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥40.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 15% per annum over that time. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Y.A.C. Holdings has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 104% per annum. Fast growing earnings are great, but this can rarely be sustained without some reinvestment into the business, which Y.A.C. Holdings hasn't been doing.
Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We don't think Y.A.C. Holdings is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Y.A.C. Holdings (of which 1 is a bit unpleasant!) you should know about. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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.