The board of Cross Marketing Group Inc. (TSE:3675) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of ¥7.50 on the 3rd of March, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 2.4%.
Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. However, Cross Marketing Group's earnings easily cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Over the next year, EPS could expand by 19.1% if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 20% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
See our latest analysis for Cross Marketing Group
While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from ¥3.70 total annually to ¥15.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 15% per annum over that time. It is great to see strong growth in the dividend payments, but cuts are concerning as it may indicate the payout policy is too ambitious.
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. Cross Marketing Group has impressed us by growing EPS at 19% per year over the past five years. Cross Marketing Group definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.
Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that Cross Marketing Group is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Cross Marketing Group that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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.