Despite being a blue-chip company, the Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price has been a disappointment over the past 5 years.
In June 2018, the telco provider's shares hit a low of $2.62 before climbing to around the $4 mark in August 2019.
But this was short-lived as its shares plummeted once again to about $2.68 in October 2020 only to regain composure.
While Telstra shares don't have a strong growth profile, it is the bi-annual income from its dividends that investors seek.
Generally, the company has paid out consistent dividends even in times of recession such as the COVID-19 era.
Let's take a look below.
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A rundown on the Telstra dividend history
Here's a list of the Telstra dividends that have been paid out to shareholders over the last 5 years.
- September 2017 – 15.5 cents (final)
- March 2018 – 11 cents (interim)
- September 2018 – 11 cents (final)
- March 2019 – 8 cents (interim)
- September 2019 – 8 cents (final)
- March 2020 – 8 cents (interim)
- September 2020 – 8 cents (final)
- March 2021 – 8 cents (interim)
- September 2021 – 8 cents (final)
- April 2022 – 8 cents (interim)
Telstra has paid a total of 93.5 cents in dividends to shareholders from September 2017 until now. This is quite significant given its shares trade at $3.90 apiece.
However, it's worth noting that the company's dividends have begun to slowly dwindle over the years.
With the extreme volatility impacting the ASX, Telstra is expected to maintain the current 8 cents per share fully-franked dividend.
Telstra share price snapshot
Similar to its performance over the long-term, Telstra shares have moved in circles over the last 12 months, up 4%.
When looking at year-to-date, its shares have been impacted by strong inflationary movements and interest rate hikes, down 7%.
Telstra commands a market capitalisation of roughly $44.60 billion and has a dividend yield of 2.83%.
