Yahoo Finance TEGNA (NYSE:TGNA) Has Announced A Dividend Of $0.095
The board of TEGNA Inc. (NYSE:TGNA) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 3rd of July, with investors receiving $0.095 per share. This means that the annual payment will be 2.4% of the current stock price, which is in line with the average for the industry.
See our latest analysis for TEGNA
TEGNA's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage
We like to see a healthy dividend yield, but that is only helpful to us if the payment can continue. However, prior to this announcement, TEGNA's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 18.3% over the next year. If the dividend continues along the path it has been on recently, we estimate the payout ratio could be 16%, which is comfortable for the company to continue in the future.
Dividend Volatility
The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. Since 2013, the annual payment back then was $0.80, compared to the most recent full-year payment of $0.38. The dividend has shrunk at around 7.2% a year during that period. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges.
TEGNA May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend
With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS is growing. Earnings per share has been crawling upwards at 4.8% per year. Earnings growth is slow, but on the plus side, the dividend payout ratio is low and dividends could grow faster than earnings, if the company decides to increase its payout ratio.
Our Thoughts On TEGNA's Dividend
Overall, a consistent dividend is a good thing, and we think that TEGNA has the ability to continue this into the future. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company's dividend track record isn't stellar. The payment isn't stellar, but it could make a decent addition to a dividend portfolio.
Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For instance, we've picked out 2 warning signs for TEGNA that investors should take into consideration. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated 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.
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