The board of Rix Corporation (TSE:7525) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 30th of June, with investors receiving ¥67.00 per share. This means the annual payment is 4.3% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.
Check out our latest analysis for Rix
Rix's Payment Could Potentially Have Solid Earnings Coverage
A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. However, prior to this announcement, Rix's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 4.4% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 41% 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. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from ¥20.00 total annually to ¥120.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 20% 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.
The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. Earnings have grown at around 4.4% a year for the past five years, which isn't massive but still better than seeing them shrink. Earnings growth is slow, but on the plus side, the dividend payout ratio is low and dividends could grow faster than earnings, if the company decides to increase its payout ratio.
In Summary
Overall, we think that Rix could make a reasonable income stock, even though it did cut the dividend this year. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company's dividend track record isn't stellar. The payment isn't stellar, but it could make a decent addition to a dividend portfolio.
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. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Rix 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.
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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:7525
Rix
Manufactures and sells machinery equipment and industrial materials in Japan.
Flawless balance sheet established dividend payer.