Star Mica Holdings (TSE:2975) Has Announced A Dividend Of ¥10.50

Star Mica Holdings Co., Ltd. (TSE:2975) will pay a dividend of ¥10.50 on the 26th of February. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 3.2%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Star Mica Holdings

Star Mica Holdings' Projected Earnings Seem Likely To Cover Future Distributions

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Star Mica Holdings is quite easily earning enough to cover the dividend, however it is being let down by weak cash flows. We think that cash flows should take priority over earnings, so this is definitely a worry for the dividend going forward.

Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 12.0% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 22% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was ¥4.00 in 2014, and the most recent fiscal year payment was ¥21.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 18% 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.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Star Mica Holdings has impressed us by growing EPS at 12% per year over the past five years. Star Mica Holdings definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.

Our Thoughts On Star Mica Holdings' Dividend

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. While Star Mica Holdings is earning enough to cover the payments, the cash flows are lacking. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

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 2 warning signs for Star Mica Holdings (1 is significant!) that you should be aware of before investing. 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.