Koito Manufacturing (TSE:7276) Has Announced A Dividend Of ¥28.00

Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSE:7276) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥28.00 per share on the 5th of December. Based on this payment, the dividend yield for the company will be 2.4%, which is fairly typical for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Koito Manufacturing

Koito Manufacturing's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible. The last dividend was quite easily covered by Koito Manufacturing's earnings. 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 12.2% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 40% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥12.00 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥56.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 17% over that duration. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. It's not great to see that Koito Manufacturing's earnings per share has fallen at approximately 9.9% per year over the past five years. Declining earnings will inevitably lead to the company paying a lower dividend in line with lower profits. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this can turn into a longer term trend.

Our Thoughts On Koito Manufacturing's Dividend

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Koito Manufacturing will make a great income stock. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Koito Manufacturing that investors should take into consideration. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com