A little over a year ago, I gave telecom giant Verizon (NYSE: VZ) a "C" grade for dividend safety due to declining free cash flow and a payout ratio that was just above my 75% threshold. But I concluded my evaluation by saying, "I won't be surprised if next year at this time, Verizon's dividend safety rating has been upgraded." The stock currently pays a $0.665 quarterly dividend, which equates to a 6.6% yield. Let's see whether the company earned the expected upgrade. Importantly, free cash flow came in higher than projected in 2023. Last May, the company's free cash flow was forecast to be $16.9 billion for the year. It actually came in at $18.7 billion, which shrunk the payout ratio from above 75% to a very comfortable 59%. |
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