The Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) share price closed 0.73% lower at $118.74 on Friday.
In 2024, the ASX 200 iron ore majors had a tough year, and Rio Tinto was no exception. The Rio Tinto share price fell 13.4% in 2024, so investors are certainly hoping for a bounceback this year.
We're more likely to see larger swings in the Rio Tinto share price when the miner drops big news.
Rio has released its financial reporting calendar for 2025, so let's take note of the important dates.
Important dates for Rio Tinto investors in 2025
Rio Tinto will release its FY24 full-year results and announce the final dividend on 19 February.
The ex-dividend date for the final Rio dividend will be 6 March. The record date will be 7 March.
New investors who want their dividends automatically reinvested in more Rio Tinto shares through the dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) must submit their DRP elections by 27 March.
The currency conversion date for the dividends will be 8 April, and Rio Tinto will pay the dividend to investors on 17 April.
The miner will hold its annual general meeting on 1 May.
The next big item on the calendar is the FY25 half-year results and interim dividend on 30 July.
The ex-dividend date for the interim dividend will be 14 August.
The record date will be 15 August, and the DRP election date will be 4 September.
The currency conversion for the dividend will take place on 16 September. Rio Tinto will pay the dividend on 25 September.
How much will Rio Tinto shares pay in dividends in 2025?
In 2024, Rio Tinto shares paid a dividend of $6.36 per share.
This year, analysts on the CommSec trading platform predict the miner will pay $5.489 per share. This would equate to a dividend yield of about 4.6% with full franking.
Find out which ASX 200 mining share will pay the best dividend yield in 2025 here.
Major ASX iron ore shares such as Rio Tinto are facing several earnings headwinds this year.
This includes a volatile and weaker iron ore price and concerns over China's economy.
Investors are worried that China will buy less iron ore because of its declining economic growth. Economic stimulus measures may mitigate it somewhat, but we have yet to see this play out.
United States president-elect Donald Trump has also threatened to apply a 60% tariff on Chinese goods. This would hurt the Chinese economy and could potentially impact the demand for iron ore.
However, it's worth noting that Rio Tinto doesn't just dig up iron ore. It's a diversified miner with a portfolio of assets in four areas: aluminium, copper and diamonds, energy and minerals, and iron ore.
Are Rio Tinto shares a buy?
The consensus rating on Rio Tinto shares among analysts on CommSec is a moderate buy.
Of the 13 analysts rating Rio Tinto, five say it's a strong buy, and three say it's a moderate buy. The remaining five analysts rate Rio Tinto shares a hold.
Top broker Goldman Sachs has a buy rating and a 12-month share price target of $146.20 on Rio Tinto.
In a note published last week, Goldman said it was buy-rated on Rio Tinto due to its valuation, attractive free cash flow and dividend yield, expectations of strong production growth in 2025 and 2026, and its aluminium business, which the broker says is the world's highest-margin, lowest-emission aluminium operation.
Meanwhile, time will tell if a rumoured mega-merger between Rio Tinto and global mining giant Glencore PLC will come to fruition. Should the two merge, the combined company would eclipse rival BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) in market cap to become the world's biggest miner. Stay tuned.
