Nippon Concrete Industries Co., Ltd. (TSE:5269) will pay a dividend of ¥4.00 on the 12th of June. Despite the cut, the dividend yield of 2.4% will still be comparable to other companies in the industry.
Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. Despite not generating a profit, Nippon Concrete Industries is still paying a dividend. It is also not generating any free cash flow, we definitely have concerns when it comes to the sustainability of the dividend.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 45.5%. While it is good to see income moving in the right direction, it still looks like the company won't achieve profitability. Unless this can be done in short order, the dividend might be difficult to sustain.
Check out our latest analysis for Nippon Concrete Industries
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 ¥6.00, compared to the most recent full-year payment of ¥8.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.9% a year over that time. Modest growth in the dividend is good to see, but we think this is offset by historical cuts to the payments. It is hard to live on a dividend income if the company's earnings are not consistent.
With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. Over the past five years, it looks as though Nippon Concrete Industries' EPS has declined at around 48% a year. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. It's not all bad news though, as the earnings are predicted to rise over the next 12 months - we would just be a bit cautious until this becomes a long term trend.
Overall, the dividend looks like it may have been a bit high, which explains why it has now been cut. The company seems to be stretching itself a bit to make such big payments, but it doesn't appear they can be consistent over time. We don't think that this is a great candidate to be an income stock.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For instance, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Nippon Concrete Industries that investors should take into consideration. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.
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