Kao Corp (4452) from Japan is the #1 Dividend Aristocrat with 30+ yrs of growth
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| Consumer Staples company Kao leads all companies in Japan. |
There is one share listed on the Tokyo stock exchange that can be called a true Dividend Aristocrat. This consumer staples share, a peer of Procter & Gamble and L'Oréal, has increased its dividend for 33 years in a row. Meet Kao Corp, a cosmetics and shampoo giant from Japan!
Thanks to the new YouTube channel Dividend Freak, we came across a very rare share, namely Kao Corporation from Japan, which is listed under ticker 4452.
Unlike the United States, where more than 100 companies have increased dividends for at least 25 years in a row, Japan actually has no real Dividend Aristocrats at all. However, one share is the exception, with 33 consecutive years of dividend growth. This share is discussed and explained in detail in the video below.
Apparently Kao is one of only 2 true Dividend Aristocrats in Japan. The other will be discussed later by Dividend Freak, as we hear in the video. Kao is one of the largest listed companies in Japan with a market value of more than $18 billion. The company's brands include Guhl, Attack, Bioré, Goldwell, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, Laurier, Merries and Molton Brown. The company was originally founded in 1887 by Mr. Tomiro Nagase who started the company Nagase Shoten, a Western sundry goods dealer that would later become Kao.
KAO Corp (Japan; trading symbol 4452)
- Sector: Consumer Staples
- Market cap: $18 billion
- Stock price: 5715 yen (as of December 1, 2023)
- Dividend yield: 2.6%
- Annual dividend (est): 150 yen
- Next ex-dividend date: December 28, 2023
At the current share price of 5,715 yen, the dividend yield is 2.6%. The company pays a semi-annual dividend to shareholders (150 yen per share).
Watch the video for the full story behind this Japanese company with a long history. It is also particularly interesting that Kao is a sector peer of the American Dividend Aristocrat Procter & Gamble and the French dividend star L'Oréal.
Most companies in Japan typically pay one or two dividends each year, just like many companies from Europe. Although dividend growth has picked up in recent years, most Japanese companies are lagging the great track records when compared to US companies.
