IBJ (TSE:6071) Is Increasing Its Dividend To ¥10.00

IBJ, Inc. (TSE:6071) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 30th of March to ¥10.00. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 1.3% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.

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IBJ's Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings

While yield is important, another factor to consider about a company's dividend is whether the current payout levels are feasible. Before making this announcement, IBJ was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 12.2%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 16% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

See our latest analysis for IBJ

IBJ's Dividend Has Lacked Consistency

Looking back, IBJ's dividend hasn't been particularly consistent. Due to this, we are a little bit cautious about the dividend consistency over a full economic cycle. Since 2016, the annual payment back then was ¥6.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥10.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.8% a year over that time. We have seen cuts in the past, so while the growth looks promising we would be a little bit cautious about its track record.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. IBJ has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 25% per annum. Earnings per share is growing at a solid clip, and the payout ratio is low which we think is an ideal combination in a dividend stock as the company can quite easily raise the dividend in the future.

IBJ Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock

Overall, a dividend increase is always good, and we think that IBJ is a strong income stock thanks to its track record and growing earnings. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. You can also discover whether shareholders are aligned with insider interests by checking our visualisation of insider shareholdings and trades in IBJ stock. Is IBJ not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.