Ferrotec (TSE:6890) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of ¥74.00

Ferrotec Corporation (TSE:6890) will pay a dividend of ¥74.00 on the 9th of December. This takes the dividend yield to 4.0%, which shareholders will be pleased with.

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 Ferrotec's stock price has increased by 56% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early.

Ferrotec'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. Based on the last payment, Ferrotec was earning enough to cover the dividend, but free cash flows weren't positive. In general, we consider cash flow to be more important than earnings, so we would be cautious about relying on the sustainability of this dividend.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 17.4% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 50% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

View our latest analysis for Ferrotec

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥8.00 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥148.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 34% over that duration. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. It's encouraging to see that Ferrotec has been growing its earnings per share at 47% a year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.

In Summary

In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Ferrotec's payments are rock solid. While Ferrotec is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 2 warning signs for Ferrotec that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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.