Obara Group (TSE:6877) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of ¥90.00

The board of Obara Group Incorporated (TSE:6877) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥90.00 per share on the 20th of December. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 3.6%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Obara Group

Obara Group's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. However, Obara Group's earnings easily cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 12.1%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 39% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

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 ¥20.00 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥150.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 22% 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.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Obara Group has seen earnings per share falling at 3.3% per year over the last five years. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends. Earnings are forecast to grow over the next 12 months and if that happens we could still be a little bit cautious until it becomes a pattern.

In Summary

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. In the past, the payments have been unstable, but over the short term the dividend could be reliable, with the company generating enough cash to cover it. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. As an example, we've identified 2 warning signs for Obara Group that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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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.

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