Pola Orbis Holdings Inc.'s (TSE:4927) investors are due to receive a payment of ¥31.00 per share on 31st of March. The dividend yield will be 3.4% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.
See our latest analysis for Pola Orbis Holdings
We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Based on the last payment, earnings were actually smaller than the dividend, and the company was actually spending more cash than it was making. Paying out such a large dividend compared to earnings while also not generating any free cash flow would definitely be difficult to keep up.
Earnings per share is forecast to rise by 7.7% over the next year. However, if the dividend continues along recent trends, it could start putting pressure on the balance sheet with the payout ratio reaching 116% over the next year.
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The annual payment during the last 10 years was ¥15.00 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was ¥52.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 13% per annum over that time. 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.
Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Pola Orbis Holdings has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 27% per annum. Strong earnings is nice to see, but unless this can be sustained on minimal reinvestment of profits, we would question whether dividends will follow suit.
Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. Strong earnings growth means Pola Orbis Holdings has the potential to be a good dividend stock in the future, despite the current payments being at elevated levels. 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. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Pola Orbis Holdings that you should be aware of before investing. 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.