Kintetsu Group Holdings Co.,Ltd.'s (TSE:9041) investors are due to receive a payment of ¥30.00 per share on 23rd of June. This takes the dividend yield to 2.1%, which shareholders will be pleased with.
A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Kintetsu Group HoldingsLtd was paying only paying out a fraction of earnings, but the payment was a massive 174% of cash flows. The business might be trying to strike a balance between returning cash to shareholders and reinvesting back into the business, but this high of a payout ratio could definitely force the dividend to be cut if the company runs into a bit of a tough spot.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 0.2% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 23% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
See our latest analysis for Kintetsu Group HoldingsLtd
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 annual payment back then was ¥50.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥60.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 1.8% over that duration. The dividend has seen some fluctuations in the past, so even though the dividend was raised this year, we should remember that it has been cut in the past.
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. We are encouraged to see that Kintetsu Group HoldingsLtd has grown earnings per share at 35% per year over the past five years. Earnings have been growing rapidly, and with a low payout ratio we think that the company could turn out to be a great dividend stock.
In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Kintetsu Group HoldingsLtd's payments are rock solid. While Kintetsu Group HoldingsLtd is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've identified 2 warning signs for Kintetsu Group HoldingsLtd (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing. Is Kintetsu Group HoldingsLtd not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.
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