Expecting a dividend cut

Bank of America is currently trading at $12.90 a share and is paying a dividend of $1.28. This equates to a dividend yield of almost 10% which is higher than Bank of America’s earnings per share. The dividend payout ratio is way too high. I am expecting that Bank of America will either cut or eliminate its dividend altogether. BAC cannot pay out such a high percentage of its earnings in the form of dividends when the company is in need of capital. I think that when they announce the dividend cut, the stock will sink further as investors holding the stock for the dividend payout will sell. As stated previously, I sold the majority of my Bank of America shares because of dilution concerns. Dividends may also be in trouble at Morgan Stanley with a yield of 7% and Deutsche Bank yielding 12%.

Goldman Sachs

 

I will be keeping an eye on earnings announcements from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley this week. It should give insight into just how bad things are for financial companies. Goldman currently trades at around $68 and Morgan Stanley at $14. Goldman is expected to report its first quarterly loss in 70 years. Analysts think that losses may be high as $5 a share. If earnings are worse than expected there will be a major sell off of financial stocks which may represent a buying opportunity.