Ichimasa Kamaboko Co., Ltd. (TSE:2904) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 27th of September to ¥14.00. The payment will take the dividend yield to 1.8%, which is in line with the average for the industry.
Ichimasa Kamaboko's Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings
We like a dividend to be consistent over the long term, so checking whether it is sustainable is important. Before making this announcement, Ichimasa Kamaboko was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.
EPS is set to fall by 2.4% over the next 12 months if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 34%, which is definitely feasible to continue.
Check out our latest analysis for Ichimasa Kamaboko
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. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥6.00 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥14.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 8.8% over that duration. A reasonable rate of dividend growth is good to see, but we're wary that the dividend history is not as solid as we'd like, having been cut at least once.
The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Ichimasa Kamaboko has seen earnings per share falling at 2.4% per year over the last five years. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends.
Our Thoughts On Ichimasa Kamaboko's Dividend
Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We don't think Ichimasa Kamaboko is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've identified 3 warning signs for Ichimasa Kamaboko (1 can't be ignored!) 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.