Ai Holdings' (TSE:3076) Dividend Will Be Increased To ¥55.00

Ai Holdings Corporation (TSE:3076) has announced that it will be increasing its periodic dividend on the 30th of September to ¥55.00, which will be 22% higher than last year's comparable payment amount of ¥45.00. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 4.0%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

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Ai Holdings' Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings

While it is great to have a strong dividend yield, we should also consider whether the payment is sustainable. Before making this announcement, Ai Holdings was paying a whopping 140% as a dividend, but this only made up 21% of its overall earnings. A cash payout ratio this high could put the dividend under pressure and force the company to reduce it in the future if it were to run into tough times.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to fall by 45.3%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 52%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

See our latest analysis for Ai Holdings

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 ¥30.00 in 2015, and the most recent fiscal year payment was ¥90.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 12% per annum over that time. 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

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. We are encouraged to see that Ai Holdings has grown earnings per share at 28% per year over the past five years. Rapid earnings growth and a low payout ratio suggest this company has been effectively reinvesting in its business. Should that continue, this company could have a bright future.

An additional note is that the company has been raising capital by issuing stock equal to 12% of shares outstanding in the last 12 months. Trying to grow the dividend when issuing new shares reminds us of the ancient Greek tale of Sisyphus - perpetually pushing a boulder uphill. Companies that consistently issue new shares are often suboptimal from a dividend perspective.

In Summary

Overall, we always like to see the dividend being raised, but we don't think Ai Holdings will make a great income stock. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.

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, Ai Holdings has 3 warning signs (and 2 which are a bit concerning) 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.

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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.