Yahoo Finance Just Four Days Till Telstra Corporation Limited (ASX:TLS) Will Be Trading Ex-Dividend
It looks like Telstra Corporation Limited (ASX:TLS) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 26th of August, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 24th of September.
Telstra's next dividend payment will be AU$0.08 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of AU$0.16 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Telstra stock has a trailing yield of around 5.2% on the current share price of A$3.05. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! As a result, readers should always check whether Telstra has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
View our latest analysis for Telstra
If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Telstra paid out 65% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. 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. Thankfully its dividend payments took up just 33% of the free cash flow it generated, which is a comfortable payout ratio.
It's positive to see that Telstra's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're discomforted by Telstra's 14% per annum decline in earnings in the past five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks.
Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Telstra has seen its dividend decline 5.4% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see. While it's not great that earnings and dividends per share have fallen in recent years, we're encouraged by the fact that management has trimmed the dividend rather than risk over-committing the company in a risky attempt to maintain yields to shareholders.
The Bottom Line
Is Telstra an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? The payout ratios are within a reasonable range, implying the dividend may be sustainable. Declining earnings are a serious concern, however, and could pose a threat to the dividend in future. Overall we're not hugely bearish on the stock, but there are likely better dividend investments out there.
So if you want to do more digging on Telstra, you'll find it worthwhile knowing the risks that this stock faces. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Telstra (of which 2 are significant!) you should know about.
If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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