SMC's (TSE:6273) Dividend Will Be ¥450.00

The board of SMC Corporation (TSE:6273) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥450.00 per share on the 1st of July. The dividend yield is 1.1% based on this payment, which is a little bit low compared to the other companies in the industry.

View our latest analysis for SMC

SMC's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. The last payment was quite easily covered by earnings, but it made up 174% of cash flows. This signals that the company is more focused on returning cash flow to shareholders, but it could mean that the dividend is exposed to cuts in the future.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 26.9% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 30% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥160.00 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥900.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 19% per annum over that time. It is great to see strong growth in the dividend payments, but cuts are concerning as it may indicate the payout policy is too ambitious.

SMC Could Grow Its Dividend

Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. SMC has impressed us by growing EPS at 8.4% per year over the past five years. The lack of cash flows does make us a bit cautious though, especially when it comes to the future of the dividend.

Our Thoughts On SMC's Dividend

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. While SMC is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 12 analysts we track are forecasting for SMC for free with public analyst estimates for the company. Is SMC 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.