Japan Electronic Materials (TSE:6855) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of ¥20.00

Japan Electronic Materials Corporation (TSE:6855) has announced that it will pay a dividend of ¥20.00 per share on the 10th of June. The dividend yield will be 1.5% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that Japan Electronic Materials' stock price has increased by 84% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

See our latest analysis for Japan Electronic Materials

Japan Electronic Materials' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

If the payments aren't sustainable, a high yield for a few years won't matter that much. Based on the last payment, Japan Electronic Materials was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that a lot of the earnings are being reinvested into the business, with the aim of fueling growth.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 34.3% 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. The annual payment during the last 10 years was ¥8.00 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was ¥40.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 17% over that duration. It is great to see strong growth in the dividend payments, but cuts are concerning as it may indicate the payout policy is too ambitious.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Come By

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Over the past five years, it looks as though Japan Electronic Materials' EPS has declined at around 9.6% a year. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.

Our Thoughts On Japan Electronic Materials' Dividend

In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Japan Electronic Materials' payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. 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. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. To that end, Japan Electronic Materials has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about. 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.