Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ)’s Yield Is Creeping Higher

It’s no surprise that Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is still willing to acquire Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) (albeit at a $300 million lower price following the relatively recent revelation that Yahoo’s data breach was dramatically more widespread than originally announced) because Verizon Still Needs Yahoo.

Specifically, Verizon’s dividend payout ratio has continued to climb higher, and without the cash flows that Yahoo will provide, Verizon will likely be forced to sell more assets to maintain its big dividend payments. Either way, Verizon’s share price has come down, the dividend is safe, and Verizon is a decent place to have your money, especially considering the current historically low levels of market volatility likely won’t last forever.

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Dividend Payout Ratio

For some perspective, the following chart shows Verizon’s dividend payout ratio through the end of 2016.

The key takeaway is that the payout ratio (Dividend / Free Cash Flow) has recently climbed to an unsustainable level as industry competition has intensified and the overall industry is changing. For perspective, here is the same chart for AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

Unlike Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) was able to address its precipitously rising dividend payout ratio several years ago with its DirectTV acquisition (this acquisition helped AT&T better cover its dividend payments, and adapt to the changing industry/market conditions).

The expectation is that Verizon’s Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) acquisition will address its growing payout ratio in much the same way DirectTV helped address it for AT&T. But even if the Yahoo acquisition doesn’t go through (we believe it will) then Verizon can continue to support its big dividend by selling assets. For example, Verizon helped support its big dividend payments in 2016 by selling some of its telecom properties to Frontier Communications (FTR) for $3.3 billion in cash and $5.2 billion in Frontier stock, and Verizon also raised over $5 billion in cash in 2016 by selling tower assets to American Tower Corp. (AMT). Either way, we believe Verizon’s dividend is safe.