Readers hoping to buy Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (TSE:9201) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. The ex-dividend date is commonly two business days before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company’s books to be eligible for a dividend payment. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn’t show on the record date. Therefore, if you purchase Japan Airlines’ shares on or after the 29th of September, you won’t be eligible to receive the dividend, when it is paid on the 5th of December.
The company’s upcoming dividend is JP¥46.00 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of JP¥92.00 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year’s worth of payments, Japan Airlines has a trailing yield of 3.0% on the current stock price of JP¥3086.00. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Japan Airlines has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
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Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Fortunately Japan Airlines’s payout ratio is modest, at just 31% of profit. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. It distributed 49% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.
It’s encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don’t drop precipitously.
View our latest analysis for Japan Airlines
Click here to see the company’s payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
TSE:9201 Historic Dividend September 25th 2025 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. For this reason, we’re glad to see Japan Airlines’s earnings per share have risen 12% per annum over the last five years. Earnings per share are growing rapidly and the company is keeping more than half of its earnings within the business; an attractive combination which could suggest the company is focused on reinvesting to grow earnings further. This will make it easier to fund future growth efforts and we think this is an attractive combination – plus the dividend can always be increased later.
Japan Airlines also issued more than 5% of its market cap in new stock during the past year, which we feel is likely to hurt its dividend prospects in the long run. It’s hard to grow dividends per share when a company keeps creating new shares.
Another key way to measure a company’s dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Japan Airlines has seen its dividend decline 0.5% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see.
The Bottom Line
Is Japan Airlines worth buying for its dividend? It’s great that Japan Airlines is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It’s disappointing to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past, but as things stand now, the low payout ratio suggests a conservative approach to dividends, which we like. It’s a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention.
On that note, you’ll want to research what risks Japan Airlines is facing. For example, we’ve found 1 warning sign for Japan Airlines that we recommend you consider before investing in the business.
Generally, we wouldn’t recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see. Here’s a curated list of interesting stocks that are 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.
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