Seikitokyu Kogyo (TSE:1898) Has Announced A Dividend Of ¥45.00

The board of Seikitokyu Kogyo Co., Ltd. (TSE:1898) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 4th of December, with investors receiving ¥45.00 per share. The dividend yield will be 5.4% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for Seikitokyu Kogyo

Seikitokyu Kogyo Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Seikitokyu Kogyo's profits didn't cover the dividend, but the company was generating enough cash instead. Healthy cash flows are always a positive sign, especially when they quite easily cover the dividend.

EPS is set to fall by 8.1% over the next 12 months if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could reach 151%, which could put the dividend in jeopardy if the company's earnings don't improve.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥10.00 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥90.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 25% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown rapidly over this time, but with cuts in the past we are not certain that this stock will be a reliable source of income in the future.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. In the last five years, Seikitokyu Kogyo's earnings per share has shrunk at approximately 8.1% per annum. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends.

Seikitokyu Kogyo's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Seikitokyu Kogyo's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

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. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Seikitokyu Kogyo (of which 1 doesn't sit too well with us!) you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

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