Keikyu's (TSE:9006) Dividend Will Be ¥9.00

The board of Keikyu Corporation (TSE:9006) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 30th of June, with investors receiving ¥9.00 per share. This makes the dividend yield about the same as the industry average at 1.4%.

See our latest analysis for Keikyu

Keikyu's Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions

Solid dividend yields are great, but they only really help us if the payment is sustainable. Prior to this announcement, Keikyu's earnings easily covered the dividend, but free cash flows were negative. 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.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to fall by 53.5%. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 12%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

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 ¥12.00 in 2014 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥18.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 4.1% over that duration. The dividend has seen some fluctuations in the past, so even though the dividend was raised this year, we should remember that it has been cut in the past.

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 Keikyu has grown earnings per share at 32% per year over the past five years. Earnings have been growing rapidly, and with a low payout ratio we think that the company could turn out to be a great dividend stock.

In Summary

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While the low payout ratio is a redeeming feature, this is offset by the minimal cash to cover the payments. We don't think Keikyu is a great stock to add to your portfolio if income is your focus.

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. For example, we've identified 3 warning signs for Keikyu (2 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing. Is Keikyu 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.