HASEKO (TSE:1808) Has Announced A Dividend Of ¥45.00

HASEKO Corporation's (TSE:1808) investors are due to receive a payment of ¥45.00 per share on 8th of December. This takes the dividend yield to 3.7%, which shareholders will be pleased with.

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HASEKO's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Before making this announcement, HASEKO was earning enough to cover the dividend, but it wasn't generating any free cash flows. No cash flows could definitely make returning cash to shareholders difficult, or at least mean the balance sheet will come under pressure.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 12.3% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 72% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Check out our latest analysis for HASEKO

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was ¥10.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥90.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 25% per annum 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

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. It's not great to see that HASEKO's earnings per share has fallen at approximately 6.3% per year over the past five years. Declining earnings will inevitably lead to the company paying a lower dividend in line with lower profits. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.

The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think HASEKO's payments are rock solid. While HASEKO is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. 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. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've identified 4 warning signs for HASEKO (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing. 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.