Square Enix Holdings (TSE:9684) Has Announced A Dividend Of ¥28.00

The board of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. (TSE:9684) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥28.00 per share on the 5th of December. Despite this raise, the dividend yield of 1.4% is only a modest boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Square Enix Holdings

Square Enix Holdings' Dividend Is 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, Square Enix Holdings was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that most of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 17.0%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 44%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2014, the dividend has gone from ¥30.00 total annually to ¥71.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 9.0% 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

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. Square Enix Holdings has seen earnings per share falling at 4.3% 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. Earnings are predicted to grow over the next year, but we would remain cautious until a track record of earnings growth is established.

In Summary

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Square Enix Holdings will make a great income stock. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For instance, we've picked out 3 warning signs for Square Enix Holdings that investors should take into consideration. 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.

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