Denka (TSE:4061) Will Pay A Dividend Of ¥50.00

The board of Denka Company Limited (TSE:4061) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥50.00 per share on the 23rd of June. The dividend yield will be 3.8% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

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Denka Might Find It Hard To Continue The Dividend

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Even though Denka is not generating a profit, it is still paying a dividend. It is also not generating any free cash flow, we definitely have concerns when it comes to the sustainability of the dividend.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 70.3%. The company seems to be going down the right path, but it will take a little bit longer than a year to cross over into profitability. Unfortunately, for the dividend to continue at current levels the company definitely needs to get there sooner rather than later.

View our latest analysis for Denka

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was ¥50.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥100.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 7.2% over that duration. We like to see dividends have grown at a reasonable rate, but with at least one substantial cut in the payments, we're not certain this dividend stock would be ideal for someone intending to live on the income.

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. Earnings per share has been sinking by 43% over the last five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough. On the bright side, earnings are predicted to gain some ground over the next year, but until this turns into a pattern we wouldn't be feeling too comfortable.

We're Not Big Fans Of Denka's Dividend

Overall, this isn't a great candidate as an income investment, even though the dividend was stable this year. The company isn't making enough to be paying as much as it is, and the other factors don't look particularly promising either. Considering all of these factors, we wouldn't rely on this dividend if we wanted to live on the income.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. 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 Denka 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.