Ship Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (TSE:3360) will increase its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 30th of June to ¥60.00. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 2.3%.
We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. Before making this announcement, Ship Healthcare Holdings was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
The next year is set to see EPS grow by 9.5%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 36%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
Check out our latest analysis for Ship Healthcare Holdings
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from ¥26.00 total annually to ¥60.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.7% a year over that time. Dividends have grown at a reasonable rate over this period, and without any major cuts in the payment over time, we think this is an attractive combination as it provides a nice boost to shareholder returns.
The company's investors will be pleased to have been receiving dividend income for some time. It's encouraging to see that Ship Healthcare Holdings has been growing its earnings per share at 9.5% a year over the past five years. Ship Healthcare Holdings definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.
Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 4 Ship Healthcare Holdings analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
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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.