Nippon Kayaku (TSE:4272) Will Pay A Dividend Of ¥22.50

Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. (TSE:4272) will pay a dividend of ¥22.50 on the 27th of June. This means the annual payment is 3.5% of the current stock price, which is above the average for the industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Nippon Kayaku

Nippon Kayaku's Future Dividends May Potentially Be At Risk

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Based on the last payment, the company wasn't making enough to cover what it was paying to shareholders. It will be difficult to sustain this level of payout so we wouldn't be confident about this continuing.

The next 12 months is set to see EPS grow by 37.0%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could reach 143%, which probably can't continue without putting some pressure on the balance sheet.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥20.00 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥45.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 8.4% per annum over that time. It's good to see the dividend growing at a decent rate, but the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Nippon Kayaku might have put its house in order since then, but we remain cautious.

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. Nippon Kayaku's earnings per share has shrunk at 21% a year over the past five years. Such rapid declines definitely have the potential to constrain dividend payments if the trend continues into the future. 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 Nippon Kayaku's Dividend

Overall, while some might be pleased that the dividend wasn't cut, we think this may help Nippon Kayaku make more consistent payments in the future. The company's earnings aren't high enough to be making such big distributions, and it isn't backed up by strong growth or consistency either. Overall, this doesn't get us very excited from an income standpoint.

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. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Nippon Kayaku (of which 1 is potentially serious!) you should know about. 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.