Four Days Left To Buy Car Mate Mfg. Co., Ltd. (TSE:7297) Before The Ex-Dividend Date

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Car Mate Mfg. Co., Ltd. (TSE:7297) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is two business days before the record date, which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible 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. In other words, investors can purchase Car Mate Mfg's shares before the 29th of September in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 1st of December.

The company's next dividend payment will be JP¥15.00 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of JP¥30.00 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Car Mate Mfg has a trailing yield of 3.4% on the current share price of JP¥873.00. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Car Mate Mfg's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether Car Mate Mfg has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

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If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Car Mate Mfg is paying out an acceptable 66% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. It distributed 48% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.

It's positive to see that Car Mate Mfg's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

Check out our latest analysis for Car Mate Mfg

Click here to see how much of its profit Car Mate Mfg paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Car Mate Mfg's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 19% a year over the previous five years. Such a sharp decline casts doubt on the future sustainability of the dividend.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Car Mate Mfg has lifted its dividend by approximately 4.1% a year on average. That's interesting, but the combination of a growing dividend despite declining earnings can typically only be achieved by paying out more of the company's profits. This can be valuable for shareholders, but it can't go on forever.

To Sum It Up

Should investors buy Car Mate Mfg for the upcoming dividend? The payout ratios are within a reasonable range, implying the dividend may be sustainable. Declining earnings are a serious concern, however, and could pose a threat to the dividend in future. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about Car Mate Mfg from a dividend perspective.

So if you want to do more digging on Car Mate Mfg, you'll find it worthwhile knowing the risks that this stock faces. For example, we've found 3 warning signs for Car Mate Mfg (1 is potentially serious!) that deserve your attention before investing in the shares.

Generally, we wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here's a curated list of interesting stocks that are strong dividend payers.

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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.