Why It Might Not Make Sense To Buy Eagle Industry Co.,Ltd. (TSE:6486) For Its Upcoming Dividend

Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Eagle Industry Co.,Ltd. (TSE:6486) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next three days. The ex-dividend date is two business days before a company's record date in most cases, which is the date on which the company determines which shareholders are entitled to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is important because any transaction on a stock needs to have been settled before the record date in order to be eligible for a dividend. In other words, investors can purchase Eagle IndustryLtd's shares before the 28th of March in order to be eligible for the dividend, which will be paid on the 26th of June.

The company's next dividend payment will be JP¥50.00 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of JP¥100.00 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Eagle IndustryLtd has a trailing yield of approximately 4.8% on its current stock price of JP¥2078.00. 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! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

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Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Eagle IndustryLtd is paying out an acceptable 69% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. It paid out more than half (73%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies.

It's positive to see that Eagle IndustryLtd'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.

View our latest analysis for Eagle IndustryLtd

Click here to see how much of its profit Eagle IndustryLtd paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks with flat earnings can still be attractive dividend payers, but it is important to be more conservative with your approach and demand a greater margin for safety when it comes to dividend sustainability. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Eagle IndustryLtd's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years. It's better than seeing them drop, certainly, but over the long term, all of the best dividend stocks are able to meaningfully grow their earnings per share.

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, Eagle IndustryLtd has lifted its dividend by approximately 14% a year on average.

The Bottom Line

From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Eagle IndustryLtd? Eagle IndustryLtd has been unable to generate earnings growth, but at least its dividend looks sustainable, with its profit and cashflow payout ratios within reasonable limits. Overall it doesn't look like the most suitable dividend stock for a long-term buy and hold investor.

Keen to explore more data on Eagle IndustryLtd's financial performance? Check out our visualisation of its historical revenue and earnings growth.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking 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.