Astellas Pharma (TSE:4503) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To ¥37.00

Astellas Pharma Inc.'s (TSE:4503) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to ¥37.00 on 2nd of December. This makes the dividend yield 4.4%, which is above the industry average.

View our latest analysis for Astellas Pharma

Astellas Pharma Is Paying Out More Than It Is Earning

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. 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.

Earnings per share is forecast to rise by 29.8% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could get very high, which probably can't continue without starting to put some pressure on the balance sheet.

Astellas Pharma Has A Solid Track Record

The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. The annual payment during the last 10 years was ¥27.00 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was ¥74.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 11% over that duration. It is good to see that there has been strong dividend growth, and that there haven't been any cuts for a long time.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Let's not jump to conclusions as things might not be as good as they appear on the surface. Over the past five years, it looks as though Astellas Pharma's EPS has declined at around 37% a year. 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. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.

Astellas Pharma's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Astellas Pharma will make a great income stock. We can't deny that the payments have been very stable, but we are a little bit worried about the very high payout ratio. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've identified 4 warning signs for Astellas Pharma (2 don't sit too well with us!) that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

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