Yahoo Finance Fox's (NASDAQ:FOXA) Dividend Will Be Increased To $0.25
The board of Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOXA) has announced that it will be paying its dividend of $0.25 on the 28th of September, an increased payment from last year's comparable dividend. Even though the dividend went up, the yield is still quite low at only 1.4%.
See our latest analysis for Fox
Fox's Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions
Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. However, prior to this announcement, Fox'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.
Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 80.5%. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 13% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
Fox Doesn't Have A Long Payment History
The company has maintained a consistent dividend for a few years now, but we would like to see a longer track record before relying on it. Since 2019, the dividend has gone from $0.46 total annually to $0.50. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.8% a year over that time. Fox hasn't been paying a dividend for very long, so we wouldn't get to excited about its record of growth just yet.
Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve
Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. However, initial appearances might be deceiving. Although it's important to note that Fox's earnings per share has basically not grown from where it was five years ago, which could erode the purchasing power of the dividend over time.
Our Thoughts On Fox's Dividend
In summary, while it's always good to see the dividend being raised, we don't think Fox's payments are rock solid. The payments haven't been particularly stable and we don't see huge growth potential, but with the dividend well covered by cash flows it could prove to be reliable over the short term. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Taking the debate a bit further, we've identified 1 warning sign for Fox that investors need to be conscious of moving forward. 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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