Keihanshin Building (TSE:8818) Will Pay A Larger Dividend Than Last Year At ¥21.50

Keihanshin Building Co., Ltd. (TSE:8818) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 24th of June to ¥21.50. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 2.8%.

View our latest analysis for Keihanshin Building

Keihanshin Building's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions

We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. Based on the last payment, Keihanshin Building was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This means that a large portion of its earnings are being retained to grow the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 3.5%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 48% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2015, the annual payment back then was ¥14.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥40.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 11% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown rapidly over this time, but with cuts in the past we are not certain that this stock will be a reliable source of income in the future.

Keihanshin Building May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend

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. Earnings per share has been crawling upwards at 2.6% per year. Growth of 2.6% per annum is not particularly high, which might explain why the company is paying out a higher proportion of earnings. This could mean the dividend doesn't have the growth potential we look for going into the future.

In Summary

Overall, it's great to see the dividend being raised and that it is still in a sustainable range. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company's dividend track record isn't stellar. This looks like it could be a good dividend stock going forward, but we would note that the payout ratio has been at higher levels in the past so it could happen again.

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. To that end, Keihanshin Building has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.