Gannett Co (pfblogs.org)

Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a news and information company in the United States and the United Kingdom. It operates in two segments, Newspaper Publishing and Broadcasting.Gannett Co is a dividend aristocrat as well as a component in S&P 500 index. It has been increasing its dividends for the past 39 consecutive years. Over the past 10 years the company has delivered a negative average total return of 2.70 % annually to its shareholders.At the same time the company has managed to deliver a meager 2.00 % average annual increase in its EPS.The ROE has been in a steep downtrend from its 1998 highs at 25% to less than 11% in 2007. The decline in the newspaper business is the main driver behind the deterioration in fundamentals.Annual dividend payments have increased over the past 10 years by an average of 6.70% annually, which is above the growth in EPS. A 6.70% growth in dividends translates into the dividend payment doubling every eleven years. If we look at historical data, going as far back as 1985, GCI has indeed managed to double its dividend payments every eleven years. If the company does not increase its EPS over time, any ...