Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. (TSE:1969) Looks Like A Good Stock, And It's Going Ex-Dividend Soon

Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. (TSE:1969) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 days. The ex-dividend date is usually set to be two business days before the record date, which is the cut-off date on which you must be present on the company's books as a shareholder in order to receive the dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Accordingly, Takasago Thermal Engineering investors that purchase the stock on or after the 29th of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 10th of December.

The company's next dividend payment will be JP¥61.00 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of JP¥123 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Takasago Thermal Engineering has a trailing yield of 2.6% on the current stock price of JP¥4739.00. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

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Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. That's why it's good to see Takasago Thermal Engineering paying out a modest 43% of its earnings. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Takasago Thermal Engineering generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Over the last year it paid out 51% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.

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.

View our latest analysis for Takasago Thermal Engineering

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. That's why it's comforting to see Takasago Thermal Engineering's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 30% per annum for the past five years.

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Takasago Thermal Engineering has lifted its dividend by approximately 26% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.

The Bottom Line

Has Takasago Thermal Engineering got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? From a dividend perspective, we're encouraged to see that earnings per share have been growing, the company is paying out less than half of its earnings, and a bit over half its free cash flow. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.

Curious what other investors think of Takasago Thermal Engineering? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow.

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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.