NH Foods Ltd. (TSE:2282) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 4th of June to ¥156.00. This takes the dividend yield to 2.3%, which shareholders will be pleased with.
Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, NH Foods was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 12.6% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 43% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
Check out our latest analysis for NH Foods
The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥80.00 in 2016 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥156.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 6.9% over that duration. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio.
Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Earnings per share has been crawling upwards at 3.8% per year. Growth of 3.8% may indicate that the company has limited investment opportunity so it is returning its earnings to shareholders instead. This isn't bad in itself, but unless earnings growth pick up we wouldn't expect dividends to grow either.
Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.
It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 8 analysts we track are forecasting for NH Foods for free with public analyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.