WWE Announces Revised Dividend Policy
Posted by David Damage on Saturday, April 30, 2011
Under: News
WWE Announces Revised Dividend Policy
Adjusts Quarterly Dividend to $0.12 per share
STAMFORD,
Conn.-- WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced a revised dividend policy to
enhance the Company's financial flexibility and support the "New WWE"
initiative. Beginning in June of 2011, the Company's quarterly dividend
will be adjusted to $0.12 per share of common stock held by the
Company's Class A public shareholders. Members of the McMahon family
will also receive dividends in the revised per share amount and, as a
result, all Class A and Class B shares will receive dividends in the
amount of $0.12 per share.
"Our Board of Directors has determined
that an adjustment to the current dividend is both prudent and
appropriate," stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer. "We believe this change strikes the right balance between
returning capital to shareholders and investing in our future. We are
confident that WWE is ideally positioned to create long term value for
our shareholders."
"The Company's revised quarterly dividend was
set based on targeted ranges for payout ratios and liquidity levels,"
stated George Barrios, Chief Financial Officer. "Aligning payouts with
our current level of earnings and cash flow will significantly enhance
our financial flexibility, support our current growth initiatives, and
enable us to take advantage of important strategic opportunities in a
quickly changing media landscape, including executing on our 'New WWE'
initiative."
WWE's management and Board remain committed to
delivering value for the Company's shareholders, and the revised
dividend will continue to return significant cash to its investors. The
revised quarterly payout of $0.12 per share provides a yield of 4.2%
based on the April 28 stock price, representing an approximate 130%
premium to the S&P 500. Further, the Board will continue to review
the Company's dividend policy on an ongoing basis, including the
appropriateness of one-time returns of capital.
The new quarterly
dividend rate will become effective with our June 2011 dividend
payment. The record date for the dividend will be June 15, 2011, with a
payment date of June 27, 2011.
Due to the WWE cutting their stock dividend by 67 percent, there has been a massive sell off of the stock this morning. The price is down more than 10 perfect and is trading at $10.25 a share. Investors initially saw the WWE stock as attractive, due to the high dividend, but with that gone, many are selling it off.
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