Taiyo Yuden (TSE:6976) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of ¥45.00

The board of Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd. (TSE:6976) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 30th of June, with investors receiving ¥45.00 per share. This makes the dividend yield 3.8%, which will augment investor returns quite nicely.

See our latest analysis for Taiyo Yuden

Taiyo Yuden's Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Taiyo Yuden's dividend was making up a very large proportion of earnings, and the company was also not generating any cash flow to offset this. This is a pretty unsustainable practice, and could be risky if continued for the long term.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 29.1%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, our estimates say the payout ratio could reach 83% - on the higher side, but we wouldn't necessarily say this is unsustainable.

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 ¥10.00 in 2015, and the most recent fiscal year payment was ¥90.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 25% 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 Has Limited Growth Potential

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. Over the past five years, it looks as though Taiyo Yuden's EPS has declined at around 11% a year. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future. 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.

Taiyo Yuden's Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. The payments are bit high to be considered sustainable, and the track record isn't the best. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Taiyo Yuden (of which 1 is a bit unpleasant!) you should know about. Is Taiyo Yuden not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top 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.