Is This Dividend Stock a Good Investment?

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Jul 28, 2014

Communications organization Frontier Communications (FTR, Financial) has an eye-getting dividend yield, which can draw in investors at the stock. In any case, Frontier's business hasn't been performing exceptionally well as its late final quarter results show us. Its revenue for the final quarter was $1.18 billion, as contrasted with $1.23 billion in the year-prior period. The decline in revenue was because of speak with a softer tone revenue, alongside lower non-switched and switched access revenue, mostly offset by the increase in information services revenue and subsidy revenue.

Considering this information, and Frontier's sky-high profit payout degree of 364%, will the organization have the capacity to sustain its profit? All the more imperatively, is Frontier a decent long haul investment? How about we discover.

Slow improvements

Despite the fact that Frontier Communications' revenue declined in the final quarter, operating income came in at $257.6 million as contrasted with operating income of $235.7 million in the year-back quarter. Likewise, Frontier Communications' rate of revenue decline slowed down in the last quarter and fiscal year. Also, the organization's residential broadband piece of the pie enhanced in 84% of its markets in 2013, heading it to convey 112,250 net broadband additions in the year, another record for Frontier.

Frontier diminished its customer agitate rate significantly by executing several initiatives that conveyed a 61% residential customer maintenance change year-over-year. Its incremental investments in key areas drove substantial improvements in customer maintenance, broadband development, and customer acquisition results.

Frontier' consistent performance and long haul impetus compensation in 2013 resulted in strong shareholder returns. Frontier' bundles, evaluating, and nearby engagement strategy execution empowered it to include 27,755 new broadband connections in Q4. Its industry-heading margins, alongside its best quarterly performance in customer maintenance with a 10% change in keeping customers, are positives that investors shouldn't miss.

Frontier picked up piece of the overall industry in 79% of its residential markets, in line with its strategy of entering the broadband business. Notwithstanding, Frontier's total residential broadband piece of the overall industry is still in the low 20% reach. Consequently, it has far to go to achieve its 40% piece of the overall industry objective. As such, Frontier expects the expansion of broadband customers to proceed in 2014, and this should lead to further revenue change. Also, customer acknowledgement of Frontier's new small business bundles presented in right on time Q3, and subsequent revenue stability, reflects its proceeded with focus on revenue change.

Focus on item advancement and customer maintenance

Frontier Secure, an item resulting from coupling security with broadband bundles, is getting to be extremely mainstream among its customers alongside its channel partners, prompting customer maintenance. Customer maintenance remains a significant focus range for Frontier in 2014 as a driver of revenue and profitability. Residential maintenance enhanced to 59% as contrasted with Q4 last year, while business maintenance enhanced to 27%. Besides, Frontier's rate of customer declines enhanced in general from 7% to 3%.

Looking ahead, Frontier plans to proceed with its cost-cutting efforts, selective investments, and new initiatives in more opportunistic areas in 2014. Case in point, Frontier's decision of gaining At&t's Connecticut wireline properties, an amazingly alluring set of assets that At&t has invested in through the years, prompted an upgradation in its networks with 96% broadband scope and in excess of 40% U-verse scope.

Frontier has strong experience in incorporating acquisitions. It has also consistently conveyed on acquisition synergies and cost reductions in the past. The coordination and conversion teams are now taking a shot at key deliverables to bring amazing Frontier service to customers in Connecticut. This free cash stream focused transaction will increase the security of the profit and enhance the profit payout proportion, and subsequently, make shareholder esteem.

As said above, Frontier took residential piece of the overall industry from its competitors in 79% of its markets. It is seeing incredible response from its customers and has appreciated strong energy in 2014 so far. The yearly link value climb that will be happening amid the first quarter is seen as a chance to underwrite and strengthen Frontier's quality proposition and value consistency. Frontier is also focused on further expansion of its distributor partnerships, prompting great divert performance in the final quarter.

Frontier' Secure suite of products, which it offers through exchange channel partners, is seen as a magnificent chance to enhance its aggregate sales as well as pack connect rates. What's more, the making of new package products that allows customers to purchase a broadband and Frontier Secure item as a standard twofold play group has helped drive Frontier Secure connect rates over the 45% level in the final quarter.

Frontier is also taking a gander at growing its CPE portfolio, dispatching EVPL Ethernet services, building system interfaces to encourage Ethernet activity handoffs. It is also consolidating the services offered for basic telephony applications with improved Ethernet offerings. Such packaged products should help Frontier create better revenue later on and help sustain the profit.

Some concerns

Be that as it may, analysts think otherwise. Frontier' earnings are relied upon to decline at a yearly rate of 6% in the following five years. What's more, the stock is expensive at 45 times earnings. Also, it has a massive obligation heap of $8.15 billion. Coupled with a tremendous profit payout proportion, this makes Frontier's profit susceptible to profit cuts. Nonetheless, the organization conveyed year over year earnings development of 172% in the previous quarter, and on the off chance that it can proceed with this pattern later on, its profit has a high risk of staying safe.