The board of Ryoden Corporation (TSE:8084) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 3rd of June, with investors receiving ¥68.00 per share. This will take the annual payment to 4.1% of the stock price, which is above what most companies in the industry pay.
If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Prior to this announcement, Ryoden's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.
Over the next year, EPS could expand by 10.7% if recent trends continue. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 59% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
View our latest analysis for Ryoden
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥48.00 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥136.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 11% a year 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.
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. We are encouraged to see that Ryoden has grown earnings per share at 11% per year over the past five years. Shareholders are getting plenty of the earnings returned to them, which combined with strong growth makes this quite appealing.
In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Ryoden 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.