AT&T announced that “more of its customers are starting to fall behind on their bills, a sign that rising costs are pinching many households even for services most Americans consider essential,” writes Drew Fitzgerald in The Wall Street Journal.
AT&T said more of its customers are starting to fall behind on their bills, a sign that rising costs are pinching many households even for services most Americans consider essential https://t.co/uzHKdpDpRP
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 21, 2022
The company executives reported that subscribers were paying their monthly phone and internet bills on average two days later than a year ago.
Rising interest rates and higher prices on everything from groceries to gasoline this year due to decades high inflation have pressured consumer sentiment. “When you have 9% inflation, it tends to hit those in the low end of the market really, really hard,” said John Stankey, AT&T Chairman and CEO.
Dividend payout ratio matters
The dividend payout ratio is the amount of dividends paid to shareholders in relation to the total amount of free cash flow the company generates. In other words, the dividend payout ratio measures the percentage of free cash flow that is distributed to shareholders in the form of dividends.
AT&T’s current dividend commitment is for around $8 billion annually, or $2 billion a quarter. The company generated $1.4 billion in free cash flow in the second quarter, far short of the $4.7 billion that analysts were expecting. It means that AT&T’s free cash flow for the quarter didn’t cover its dividend commitment in the period.
References:
- Drew Fitzgerald, AT&T Says Customers Fall Behind, The Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2022, pp. B1-B2.
- https://www.barrons.com/articles/att-stock-dividend-yield-earnings-51658426833