Are Dividends Built To Last At Unilever plc And BT Group plc?

How safe are Unilever plc’s (LON: ULVR) and BT Group plc’s (LON: BT.A) Dividends?

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

Some dividends have staying power. Companies delivering enduring dividends tend to back such often-rising payouts with robust business and financial achievement.

Meanwhile, it seems best to avoid fragile dividends that arise because of weaker operational and financial characteristics. However, fragile dividends often tempt me because of high dividend yields.

How to tell the difference

Under the spotlight today, two FTSE 100 firms: Unilever (LSE: ULVR) the consumer goods business and BT Group (LSE: BT.A) the telecoms provider.

Should you invest £1,000 in British American Tobacco right now?

When investing expert Mark Rogers has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets. And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if British American Tobacco made the list?

See the 6 stocks

These firms operate in different sectors, but they both have a reasonable dividend yield. At the recent share price of 2,847p, Unilever’s forward yield for 2016 is 3.2%. At 460p, BT’s is 3.3% for the year to march 2017.

Here are some tests to gauge business and financial quality. Each scores performance out of a maximum five.

  1. Dividend record

Unilever’s dividend has been slipping, but BT’s dividend growth is impressive.

Ordinary dividends

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Unilever  (cents)

77.61

78.89

91.05

90.2

88(e)

BT Group (pence)

8.3

9.5

10.9

12.4

13.9(e)

Over four years, Unilever’s dividend advanced around 13%. BT’s moved forward by 67%.

For their dividend records, I’m scoring Unilever 3/5 and BT 5/5.

  1. Dividend cover

Unilever expects its 2016 adjusted earnings to cover its dividend around 1.5 times. BT expects cover from earnings just over two times. I like to see earnings covering the dividend at least twice and ideally more.

However, cash pays dividends, so it’s worth digging into how well, or poorly, both companies cover their dividend payouts with free cash flow too.  

On dividend cover from earnings, Unilever scores 3/5 and BT 4/5.

  1. Cash flow

Dividend cover from earnings means little if cash flow doesn’t support profits.

Here are the firms’ recent records on cash flow compared to profits:

Unilever

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Operating profit (€m)

6339

6433

6977

7517

7980

Net cash from operations (€m)

5490

5452

6836

6294

5543

BT Group

 

 

 

 

 

Operating profit (£m)

2578

2919

2948

3145

3480

Net cash from operations (£m)

4566

3558

5295

4796

4796

Unilever’s consumer goods business, with its repeat-purchase credentials, delivers steady cash flow that generally supports profits. BT stands out however with its powerful cash flow ahead of profits.

I’m scoring Unilever 3/5 for its cash flow record and BT 5/5.

  1. Debt

Interest payments on borrowed money compete with dividend payments for incoming cash flow. That’s why big debts are undesirable in dividend-led investments.

Unilever’s gross debt runs at around twice the level of its operating profit and BT Group carries a debt load equal to just under four times its operating profit.

I’m awarding Unilever 4/5 and BT 2/5 for their approach to borrowings.

  1. Degree of cyclicality

Unilever is arguably less cyclical than BT. In economic collapse, consumers are more likely to cut back on telecom services than they are to stop eating or using cleaning products.

Unilever scores 4/5 and BT 3/5.

Putting it all together

Here are the final scores for these firms:

 

Unilever

BT Group

Dividend record

3

5

Dividend cover

3

4

Cash flow

3

5

Debt

4

2

Degree of cyclicality

4

3

Total score out of 25

17

19

BT Group wins this face-off, but both firms score quite well.

Should you invest £1,000 in British American Tobacco right now?

When investing expert Mark Rogers has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets.

And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if British American Tobacco made the list?

See the 6 stocks

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

Kevin Godbold has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK owns shares of and has recommended Unilever. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

More on Investing Articles

Young female business analyst looking at a graph chart while working from home
Investing Articles

After collapsing 28% today, are Bunzl shares too cheap to ignore?

A poor trading statement has sent Bunzl shares to multi-year lows. Could now be a good time to consider investing…

Read more »

Investing Articles

These 5 stocks could earn £1,600 of annual passive income in a £20,000 ISA

Harvey Jones shows how to generate a high and rising passive income by buying a balanced mix of high-yielding FTSE…

Read more »

Young woman holding up three fingers
Investing Articles

3 things I like about Greggs shares

Greggs shares have tumbled by more than a third over the past year. But this writer has no plan to…

Read more »

artificial intelligence investing algorithms
Investing Articles

Nvidia stock: beware the bear market rally

Andrew Mackie argues that investors should tread carefully before investing in Nvidia stock, as the worst of the sell-off could…

Read more »

Young black colleagues high-fiving each other at work
Investing Articles

Up 73% in one year, is this the best value stock in the FTSE 100?

A brilliant run of form suggests this FTSE 100 giant should no longer make the cut as a value stock.…

Read more »

Investing Articles

The best could yet be to come for UK shares! I’m buying these ones

Amid ongoing stock market turbulence, this writer's been adding selected UK shares to his portfolio. Here's why and what he…

Read more »

Top Stocks

4 UK stocks trading well below book value to consider buying

Sometimes, it pays to be contrarian: who says the UK market has priced a stock precisely right, anyway?

Read more »

Investing Articles

The S&P 500’s 12% off its highs. Is now a good time to buy US shares for an ISA?

Right now, a lot of British investors are wondering whether it’s a good time to buy US shares. Here, Edward…

Read more »