Yahoo Finance Xerox Holdings (NASDAQ:XRX) Will Pay A Dividend Of US$0.25
Xerox Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:XRX) has announced that it will pay a dividend of US$0.25 per share on the 1st of August. The dividend yield will be 5.3% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.
See our latest analysis for Xerox Holdings
Xerox Holdings Might Find It Hard To Continue The Dividend
A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. While Xerox Holdings is not profitable, it is paying out less than 75% of its free cash flow, which means that there is plenty left over for reinvestment into the business. We generally think that cash flow is more important than accounting measures of profit, so we are fairly comfortable with the dividend at this level.
Recent, EPS has fallen by 24.9%, so this could continue over the next year. This means that the company will be unprofitable, but cash flows are more important when considering the dividend and as the current cash payout ratio is pretty healthy, we don't think there is too much reason to worry.
Xerox Holdings Has A Solid Track Record
Even over a long history of paying dividends, the company's distributions have been remarkably stable. The first annual payment during the last 10 years was US$0.68 in 2012, and the most recent fiscal year payment was US$1.00. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 3.9% a year over that time. Although we can't deny that the dividend has been remarkably stable in the past, the growth has been pretty muted.
The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential
Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. Unfortunately things aren't as good as they seem. Xerox Holdings' earnings per share has shrunk at 25% a year over the past five years. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future.
In Summary
In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about Xerox Holdings' payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. The company is generating plenty of cash, but we still think the dividend is a bit high for comfort. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income.
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. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Xerox Holdings (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about. 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.
