Yahoo Finance Four Days Left Until TPG Telecom Limited (ASX:TPG) Trades Ex-Dividend
TPG Telecom Limited (ASX:TPG) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is of consequence because whenever a stock is bought or sold, the trade takes at least two business day to settle. Meaning, you will need to purchase TPG Telecom's shares before the 15th of March to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 13th of April.
The company's next dividend payment will be AU$0.085 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed AU$0.17 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that TPG Telecom has a trailing yield of 3.0% on the current share price of A$5.63. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.
View our latest analysis for TPG Telecom
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. TPG Telecom paid out a disturbingly high 279% of its profit as dividends last year, which makes us concerned there's something we don't fully understand in the business. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. It distributed 41% of its free cash flow as dividends, a comfortable payout level for most companies.
It's good to see that while TPG Telecom's dividends were not covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a cash perspective. If executives were to continue paying more in dividends than the company reported in profits, we'd view this as a warning sign. Very few companies are able to sustainably pay dividends larger than their reported earnings.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
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 business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's encouraging to see TPG Telecom has grown its earnings rapidly, up 44% a year for the past five years.
Given that TPG Telecom has only been paying a dividend for a year, there's not much of a past history to draw insight from.
Final Takeaway
Is TPG Telecom an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Earnings per share have been rising nicely although, even though its cashflow payout ratio is low, we question why TPG Telecom is paying out so much of its profit. All things considered, we are not particularly enthused about TPG Telecom from a dividend perspective.
So while TPG Telecom looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. To help with this, we've discovered 2 warning signs for TPG Telecom (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you ought to be aware of before buying the shares.
A common investing mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a full list of high-yield 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.
