ANA Holdings Inc. (TSE:9202) will pay a dividend of ¥60.00 on the 30th of June. This payment means the dividend yield will be 2.0%, which is below the average for the industry.
If it is predictable over a long period, even low dividend yields can be attractive. Before making this announcement, ANA Holdings was easily earning enough to cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 0.2% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 21% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
See our latest analysis for ANA Holdings
The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. Since 2016, the annual payment back then was ¥50.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥60.00. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 1.8% 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.
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. It's encouraging to see that ANA Holdings has been growing its earnings per share at 70% a year over the past five years. A low payout ratio gives the company a lot of flexibility, and growing earnings also make it very easy for it to grow the dividend.
Overall, we like to see the dividend staying consistent, and we think ANA Holdings might even raise payments in the future. Distributions are quite easily covered by earnings, which are also being converted to cash flows. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've identified 2 warning signs for ANA Holdings (1 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing. Is ANA Holdings 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.