The board of The Oita Bank, Ltd. (TSE:8392) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥50.00 per share on the 9th of December. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 3.2%.
See our latest analysis for Oita Bank
Oita Bank's Dividend Forecasted To Be Well Covered By Earnings
While it is always good to see a solid dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is feasible.
Having distributed dividends for at least 10 years, Oita Bank has a long history of paying out a part of its earnings to shareholders. Using data from its latest earnings report, Oita Bank's payout ratio sits at 19%, an extremely comfortable number that shows that it can pay its dividend.
If the trend of the last few years continues, EPS will grow by 9.5% over the next 12 months. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the future payout ratio could be 19% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.
Dividend Volatility
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was ¥60.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥100.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 5.2% per annum over that time. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once.
The Dividend Has Growth Potential
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. It's encouraging to see that Oita Bank has been growing its earnings per share at 9.5% a year over the past five years. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.
We Really Like Oita Bank's Dividend
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 in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Oita Bank that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Is Oita Bank 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.
About TSE:8392
Oita Bank
Provides various banking products and services to individual and corporate clients primarily in Japan.
Good value with proven track record.