Tokyo Electron Device Limited (TSE:2760) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥64.00 per share on the 1st of June. The yield is still above the industry average at 2.9%.
A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Tokyo Electron Device's earnings. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 12.9%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 44% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
Check out our latest analysis for Tokyo Electron Device
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 ¥20.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥99.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 17% per annum 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.
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. It's encouraging to see that Tokyo Electron Device has been growing its earnings per share at 27% a year over the past five years. The company's earnings per share has grown rapidly in recent years, and it has a good balance between reinvesting and paying dividends to shareholders, so we think that Tokyo Electron Device could prove to be a strong dividend payer.
Overall, we think that Tokyo Electron Device could be a great option for a dividend investment, although we would have preferred if the dividend wasn't cut this year. Reducing the amount it is paying as a dividend can protect the company's balance sheet, keeping the dividend sustainable for longer. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
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 instance, we've picked out 3 warning signs for Tokyo Electron Device that investors should take into consideration. 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.