On January 29, Ford is paying out a regular payout of 15 cents per share plus a special payout of 13 cents per share. Ford announced that investors should expect a miss from the company on the profit front for both 2017 and 2018. Through the special payout, they want investors to be confident about the future.
Ford blamed higher costs for steel, a stronger dollar and currency volatility for its earnings miss. According to analyst estimates, 2018 EPS numbers stand at $1.81 per share, but Ford lowered its annual guidance to $1.45 – $1.70 per share. 2019 estimates stand at $1.52 per share, which may be further lowered as operating costs begin to rise.
Unlike most companies that cut dividends during times of distress, Ford still maintains its regular payout and has declared a special payout three times in the last two years, which is quite uncommon for a company trying to reinvent itself.
Speaking of dividend cuts, Mattel continued its slide off the list as it moved from the 95th to the 96th position. The company suspended its dividend last year in an attempt to free up cash to be used to grow its brands.
A permanent fixture that we write about every week, Realty Income Corp moved up the list again from the 23rd to the 22nd position. Phillips 66, the company that debuted from the spin-off of ConocoPhillips’ (COP ) midstream and downstream assets, moved up a spot last week from the 90th to the 89th position. Dividend stalwart 3M also moved up a spot to the 31st position.
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