Rix (TSE:7525) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of ¥64.00

Rix Corporation (TSE:7525) will pay a dividend of ¥64.00 on the 9th of December. This makes the dividend yield 4.4%, which is above the industry average.

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Rix's Payment Could Potentially Have Solid Earnings Coverage

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. The last payment was quite easily covered by earnings, but it made up 107% of cash flows. The company might be more focused on returning cash to shareholders, but paying out this much of its cash flow could expose the dividend to being cut in the future.

Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 10.7% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 46% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

View our latest analysis for Rix

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. The dividend has gone from an annual total of ¥23.00 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of ¥146.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 20% a year over that time. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. Rix has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 11% per annum. The lack of cash flows does make us a bit cautious though, especially when it comes to the future of the dividend.

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 would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Rix that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.