Rogers Communications' (TSE:RCI.B) Dividend Will Be CA$0.50

Rogers Communications Inc. (TSE:RCI.B) has announced that it will pay a dividend of CA$0.50 per share on the 3rd of January. This means the annual payment will be 3.2% of the current stock price, which is lower than the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for Rogers Communications

Rogers Communications' Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings

It would be nice for the yield to be higher, but we should also check if higher levels of dividend payment would be sustainable. Rogers Communications was earning enough to cover the previous dividend, but it was paying out quite a large proportion of its free cash flows. The business is earning enough to make the dividend feasible, but the cash payout ratio of 78% indicates it is more focused on returning cash to shareholders than growing the business.

The next year is set to see EPS grow by 40.6%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 46% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

Rogers Communications Has A Solid Track Record

The company has an extended history of paying stable dividends. Since 2012, the dividend has gone from CA$1.58 total annually to CA$2.00. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 2.4% per annum over that time. While the consistency in the dividend payments is impressive, we think the relatively slow rate of growth is less attractive.

Dividend Growth May Be Hard To Achieve

Some investors will be chomping at the bit to buy some of the company's stock based on its dividend history. Earnings per share has been crawling upwards at 3.8% per year. Rogers Communications is struggling to find viable investments, so it is returning more to shareholders. This isn't bad in itself, but unless earnings growth pick up we wouldn't expect dividends to grow either.

Our Thoughts On Rogers Communications' Dividend

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. The low payout ratio is a redeeming feature, but generally we are not too happy with the payments Rogers Communications has been making. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Rogers Communications that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. 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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