Japan Eyewear Holdings Co., Ltd. (TSE:5889) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 2 days. The ex-dividend date generally occurs two days before the record date, which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade can take two business days or more to settle. Thus, you can purchase Japan Eyewear Holdings' shares before the 30th of July in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the .
The company's next dividend payment will be JP¥43.00 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of JP¥86.00 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Japan Eyewear Holdings has a trailing yield of 3.6% on the current share price of JP¥2386.00. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to investigate whether Japan Eyewear Holdings can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.
Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. That's why it's good to see Japan Eyewear Holdings paying out a modest 50% of its earnings. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 41% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.
It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.
Check out our latest analysis for Japan Eyewear Holdings
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That's why it's comforting to see Japan Eyewear Holdings's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 77% per annum for the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing very quickly, and the company is paying out a relatively low percentage of its profit and cash flow. Companies with growing earnings and low payout ratios are often the best long-term dividend stocks, as the company can both grow its earnings and increase the percentage of earnings that it pays out, essentially multiplying the dividend.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Japan Eyewear Holdings has delivered 72% dividend growth per year on average over the past three years. It's great to see earnings per share growing rapidly over several years, and dividends per share growing right along with it.
Is Japan Eyewear Holdings worth buying for its dividend? We love that Japan Eyewear Holdings is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. There's a lot to like about Japan Eyewear Holdings, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it.
On that note, you'll want to research what risks Japan Eyewear Holdings is facing. For example - Japan Eyewear Holdings has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
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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.