EX-Dividend Schedule: WestRock Has a Dividend Yield of 2.83%; Will Trade Ex-Dividend on May 03, 2018

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / May 02, 2018 / Active-Investors has a free review on WestRock Co. (NYSE: WRK) following the Company’s announcement that it will begin trading ex-dividend on May 03, 2018. To capture the dividend payout, investors must purchase the stock a day prior to the ex-dividend date that is by latest at the end of the trading session on May 02, 2018. Active-Investors has initiated due-diligence on this dividend stock. Register with us for more free research including the one on WRK:

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Dividend Declared

On April 20, 2018, WestRock’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share on its common stock payable on May 14, 2018, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 04, 2018.

WestRock’s indicated dividend represents a yield of 2.83%, which is substantially higher than the average dividend yield of 1.90% for the Consumer Goods sector. The Company has raised its dividend for two years in a row.

Dividend Insight

WestRock has a dividend payout ratio of 41.8%, which indicates that the Company spends approximately $0.42 for dividend distribution out of every $1.00 earned. The dividend payout ratio reflects how much amount a company is returning to shareholders versus how much money it is keeping on hand to reinvest in growth, to pay off debt, and/or to add to its cash reserves.

According to analysts’ estimates, WestRock is forecasted to report earnings of $4.68 per share for the next year, which is more than double compared to the Company’s annualized dividend of $1.72 per share.

WestRock’s net cash provided by operating activities was $372 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 compared to $300 million in the prior year’s same quarter, as higher cash earnings exceeded an increased use of working capital and lower real estate sales. The Company’s total debt was $6.7 billion at March 31, 2018. During Q2 FY18, WestRock invested $213 million in capital expenditures, deployed $189 million to strategic acquisitions, and paid $110 million in dividends to its stockholders. The Company’s strong financial position indicates its ability to absorb any fluctuations in earnings and cash flow and to sustain the dividend distribution for a long period.

Earnings Update

On April 27, 2018, WestRock announced results for second quarter fiscal 2018. The Company generated sales of $4.02 billion in Q2 FY18, reflecting growth of 10% compared to sales of $3.66 billion in Q2 FY17. The increase in net sales was primarily attributable to an increase of $179 million in the Corrugated Packaging segment’s sales driven by higher selling price/mix and a surge of $250 million in the Consumer Packaging segment’s sales, primarily due to the contribution from the Multi Packaging Solutions acquisition.

For Q2 FY18, WestRock earned $0.86 per diluted share and $0.83 of adjusted earnings per diluted share compared to $0.40 per diluted share and $0.54 of adjusted earnings per diluted share in Q2 FY17, up 115% and 54%, respectively.

About WestRock Co.

WestRock manufactures and sells paper and packaging solutions for the consumer and corrugated markets in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. WestRock is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Stock Performance Snapshot

May 01, 2018 – At Tuesday’s closing bell, WestRock’s stock advanced 1.12%, ending the trading session at $59.82.

Volume traded for the day: 2.55 million shares, which was above the 3-month average volume of 1.66 million shares.

Stock performance in the past twelve-month period – up 10.55%

After yesterday’s close, WestRock’s market cap was at $16.34 billion.

Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio was at 22.69.

The stock has a dividend yield of 2.88%.

The stock is part of the Consumer Goods sector, categorized under the Packaging & Containers industry.

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