Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (TSE:5711) will pay a dividend of ¥50.00 on the 11th of June. This payment means the dividend yield will be 2.5%, which is below the average for the industry.
While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that Mitsubishi Materials' stock price has increased by 33% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.
The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. Before this announcement, Mitsubishi Materials was paying out 88% of earnings, but a comparatively small 10% of free cash flows. This leaves plenty of cash for reinvestment into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 26.5% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along the course it has been charting recently, our estimates show the payout ratio being 69% which brings it into quite a comfortable range.
See our latest analysis for Mitsubishi Materials
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 2016, the dividend has gone from ¥80.00 total annually to ¥100.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.3% a year over that time. It's encouraging to see some dividend growth, but the dividend has been cut at least once, and the size of the cut would eliminate most of the growth anyway, which makes this less attractive as an income investment.
Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. We are encouraged to see that Mitsubishi Materials has grown earnings per share at 20% per year over the past five years. Past earnings growth has been decent, but unless this is one of those rare businesses that can grow without additional capital investment or marketing spend, we'd generally expect the higher payout ratio to limit its future growth prospects.
Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. In the past, the payments have been unstable, but over the short term the dividend could be reliable, with the company generating enough cash to cover it. We don't think Mitsubishi Materials is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.
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. As an example, we've identified 4 warning signs for Mitsubishi Materials that you should be aware of before investing. Is Mitsubishi Materials not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.