Nichiha (TSE:7943) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of ¥57.00

The board of Nichiha Corporation (TSE:7943) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 26th of June, with investors receiving ¥57.00 per share. Based on this payment, the dividend yield on the company's stock will be 3.7%, which is an attractive boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Nichiha

Nichiha's Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, Nichiha was quite comfortably covering its dividend with earnings and it was paying more than 75% of its free cash flow to shareholders. The business is earning enough to make the dividend feasible, but the cash payout ratio of 79% indicates it is more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 30.8%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 54%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

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 ¥25.00 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥114.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 16% a year 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 Is Doubtful

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. Nichiha has seen earnings per share falling at 8.7% per year over the last five years. A modest decline in earnings isn't great, and it makes it quite unlikely that the dividend will grow in the future unless that trend can be reversed. 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

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Nichiha's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. While Nichiha is earning enough to cover the dividend, we are generally unimpressed with its future prospects. We don't think Nichiha is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Nichiha that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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.