Only 3 Days Left To Cash In On T.V. Today Network Limited (NSE:TVTODAY) Dividend
It looks like T.V. Today Network Limited (NSE:TVTODAY) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 3 days. You will need to purchase shares before the 4th of September to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 12th of October.
T.V. Today Network's next dividend payment will be ₹2.25 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed ₹2.25 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, T.V. Today Network has a trailing yield of approximately 0.7% on its current stock price of ₹303.5. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! As a result, readers should always check whether T.V. Today Network has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.
See our latest analysis for T.V. Today Network
Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. T.V. Today Network has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 9.4% of its income after tax. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Over the last year, it paid out dividends equivalent to 240% of what it generated in free cash flow, a disturbingly high percentage. It's pretty hard to pay out more than you earn, so we wonder how T.V. Today Network intends to continue funding this dividend, or if it could be forced to the payment.
T.V. Today Network does have a large net cash position on the balance sheet, which could fund large dividends for a time, if the company so chose. Still, smart investors know that it is better to assess dividends relative to the cash and profit generated by the business. Paying dividends out of cash on the balance sheet is not long-term sustainable.
While T.V. Today Network's dividends were covered by the company's reported profits, cash is somewhat more important, so it's not great to see that the company didn't generate enough cash to pay its dividend. Were this to happen repeatedly, this would be a risk to T.V. Today Network's ability to maintain its dividend.
Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.
Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?
Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. For this reason, we're glad to see T.V. Today Network's earnings per share have risen 18% per annum over the last five years. Earnings have been growing at a decent rate, but we're concerned dividend payments consumed most of the company's cash flow over the past year.
The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, T.V. Today Network has lifted its dividend by approximately 12% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years.
The Bottom Line
Is T.V. Today Network worth buying for its dividend? We like that T.V. Today Network has been successfully growing its earnings per share at a nice rate and reinvesting most of its profits in the business. However, we note the high cashflow payout ratio with some concern. While it does have some good things going for it, we're a bit ambivalent and it would take more to convince us of T.V. Today Network's dividend merits.
Curious what other investors think of T.V. Today Network? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow .
If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
