SO
O dividendo de The Southern Company (SO) é seguro?
The Southern Company (SO) currently pays a dividend yield of 3.2% with an FCF payout ratio of 70.0%. Dividend safety isn't about the yield - high yields often signal stress - it's about whether free cash flow comfortably covers the payment. The full coverage analysis is below. Educational only, not investment advice.
FCF payout coverage. The Southern Company's free-cash-flow payout ratio is n/a. Below 60% is comfortable - the business is keeping at least 40% of cash for reinvestment, debt reduction, or buybacks. Between 60-90% is workable but tighter; above 90% leaves no buffer, which is where dividend cuts become a real risk during a downturn.
Earnings vs FCF. The traditional payout ratio (dividends / earnings) sits at 70.0%. Compared against the FCF payout ratio above, large gaps indicate one of two things: accounting earnings being inflated by non-cash items (FCF payout much higher than earnings payout - red flag) or aggressive cash management lifting near-term FCF (FCF payout much lower than earnings payout - sometimes a sign of working-capital releases that won't repeat).
Growth track record. The Southern Company's 5-year dividend CAGR is -10.6%. Consistent growth across at least one downturn is the gold standard - it means management treats the dividend as a commitment, not a discretionary outflow. A 5-year track record without a cut during the last recession is much stronger evidence than a high current yield.
How invest-like measures this
A segurança do dividendo não é o rendimento - um rendimento alto muitas vezes sinaliza stress. É a cobertura: o free cash-flow cobre confortavelmente o dividendo com margem? O score de segurança do dividendo do invest-like pondera três sinais: rácio de payout FCF (abaixo de 60% é confortável; acima de 90% é frágil), rácio de payout sobre lucros (menos fiável que o FCF porque acréscimos podem mascarar défices de caixa), e histórico de crescimento do dividendo (CAGR a 5 anos consistente vs cortes na última desaceleração).
Apenas educativo - mesmo um dividendo com classificação A pode ser cortado amanhã por uma única decisão do conselho. Medimos a capacidade financeira documentada para manter o pagamento, não uma previsão da intenção da gestão.
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Análise de framework apenas educacional. Não é assessoria de investimento, nem uma recomendação, nem personalizado para sua situação. Sempre faça sua própria pesquisa.