The board of Hulic Co., Ltd. (TSE:3003) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of ¥31.50 on the 27th of March, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. This will take the annual payment to 3.6% of the stock price, which is above what most companies in the industry pay.
Hulic's Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings
If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Prior to this announcement, Hulic's dividend was only 40% of earnings, however it was paying out 308% of free cash flows. While the business may be attempting to set a balanced dividend policy, a cash payout ratio this high might expose the dividend to being cut if the business ran into some challenges.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 4.0%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 46%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.
Check out our latest analysis for Hulic
Hulic Has A Solid Track Record
The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from ¥11.50 total annually to ¥60.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 18% over that duration. So, dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period.
The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow
Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Hulic 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.
Our Thoughts On Hulic's Dividend
Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Hulic will make a great income stock. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
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. Just as an example, we've come across 2 warning signs for Hulic you should be aware of, and 1 of them makes us a bit uncomfortable. 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.