Maruichi Steel Tube Ltd. (TSE:5463) will pay a dividend of ¥76.00 on the 26th of June. This means that the annual payment will be 4.0% of the current stock price, which is in line with the average for the industry.
View our latest analysis for Maruichi Steel Tube
Maruichi Steel Tube's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions
Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. However, prior to this announcement, Maruichi Steel Tube's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 7.4% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 53%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
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. Since 2014, the annual payment back then was ¥69.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥131.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 6.6% per annum over that time. 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 Looks Likely To Grow
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. Maruichi Steel Tube has impressed us by growing EPS at 13% per year over the past five years. A low payout ratio and decent growth suggests that the company is reinvesting well, and it also has plenty of room to increase the dividend over time.
Maruichi Steel Tube Looks Like A Great Dividend Stock
In summary, it is good to see that the dividend is staying consistent, and we don't think there is any reason to suspect this might change over the medium term. 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. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Maruichi Steel Tube that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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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.
About TSE:5463
Maruichi Steel Tube
Manufactures and sells steel tubes, surface treated steel sheets, and poles in Japan, North America, and Asia.
Flawless balance sheet established dividend payer.