Yamazen (TSE:8051) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of ¥20.00

The board of Yamazen Corporation (TSE:8051) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 9th of December, with investors receiving ¥20.00 per share. This means the annual payment is 3.4% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.

View our latest analysis for Yamazen

Yamazen's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. However, prior to this announcement, Yamazen'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.

If the company can't turn things around, EPS could fall by 10.6% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could reach 81%, which is definitely on the higher side.

Dividend Volatility

While the company has been paying a dividend for a long time, it has cut the dividend at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from ¥15.00 total annually to ¥51.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 13% a year 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 Potential Is Shaky

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. Yamazen's EPS has fallen by approximately 11% per year during the past five years. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in.

In Summary

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. 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. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Yamazen that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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