{
  "id": 3156124,
  "title": "AT&T's Dividend Costs the Company a Fixed Amount Every Quarter Regardless of Competitive Pressure From Starlink or Cable Rivals. Here's the Coverage Ratio That Actually Determines Whether It's Safe.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/at-ts-dividend-costs-the-company-a-fixed-amount-every-quarter-3156124",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-23T13:35:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/ts-dividend-costs-company-fixed-133500953.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "AT&T, a prominent player in the U.S. cellphone market, faces intense competition from various rivals, including cable operators and even SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service. Despite this competitive landscape, AT&T maintains one of the highest dividend yields in the industry, paying out nearly $2 billion in dividends each quarter. Analysts typically assess dividend sustainability through the payout ratio, which currently stands at 36% based on trailing 12-month figures. This ratio indicates that AT&T's dividend is well-covered by its cash flow, with a cash dividend payout ratio of 45%—a figure that suggests ample coverage. Additionally, AT&T has been actively reducing its share count through stock buybacks, which has helped lower its dividend outlay. In the first half of 2026, the company repurchased $4.669 billion worth of shares, compared to $4.135 billion in the same period of 2025. As a result, AT&T's dividend appears to be on even stronger ground now than it was a year ago. While the Motley Fool Stock Advisor analysts did not include AT&T in their list of the 10 best stocks for investment, they still believe the current dividend is safe and does not warrant significant concern from investors.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Motley Fool",
        "title": "AT&T's Dividend Costs the Company a Fixed Amount Every Quarter Regardless of Competitive Pressure From Starlink or Cable Rivals. Here's the Coverage Ratio That Actually Determines Whether It's Safe.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/at-ts-dividend-costs-the-company-a-fixed-amount-every-quarter",
        "published": "2026-08-23T13:15:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Nasdaq Markets",
        "title": "AT&T's Dividend Costs the Company a Fixed Amount Every Quarter Regardless of Competitive Pressure From Starlink or Cable Rivals. Here's the Coverage Ratio That Actually Determines Whether It's Safe.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/at-ts-dividend-costs-the-company-a-fixed-amount-every-quarter-2806313",
        "published": "2026-08-23T13:35:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}