Out Fox The $treet

CenturyLink continues to see hidden benefits from cutting the dividend, including the recent rolling over of 2022 debt at lower rates. The company forecasts a revenue inflection point in key divisions. The stock trades at an attractive EV/EBITDA multiple of 5x. CenturyLink  ( CTL ) continues to prove the value in cutting the dividend at the and beginning of the year and speeding up the path to repay debt as the company makes progress on a major cost transformation project following the purchase of Level 3. The financial position of the telecom continues to improve reinforcing the  bullish investment thesis . The stock is only a major inflection point in the company returning to revenue growth away from a strong rally. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha.  Disclosure: Long CTL. Please read the disclaimer page for more details. 

Since Jeff Story took over the CEO role last year, CenturyLink (CTL) has done everything to raise free cash flows. The stock continues heading lower based on irrational fears due to 5G broadband and dividend concerns.

CenturyLink fell 10% following Q3 results despite boosting FCF targets. The company remains on track for reaching merger synergy targets including a large boost to EBITDA margins. The stock weakness provides investors with a healthy 11.4% dividend yield. My   previous research   highlighted how the market had bizarre reactions to the quarterly reports of   CenturyLink   ( CTL ) and Q3 was no different. Despite all key metrics improving, the market chose to focus on the company pruning low-margin customers. Use the weakness to again own this massive 11.4% dividend yield. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha.  Disclosure: Long CTL. Please review the disclaimer page for more details.   

CenturyLink ended 2016 down at the lows, as the market was unimpressed with the company's decision to purchase Level 3. The 9% dividend appears easily supported after the deal closes, based on free cash flow analysis. A recent analyst price target provides ample upside that is a bonus with the large dividend. CenturyLink  (NYSE: CTL ) ended 2016 in the dumps. The market didn't fondly view the company's proposed merger with  Level 3 Communications (NASDAQ: LVLT ), sending the stock down to the lows from the start of the year. Even after the 6.6% gain on the first trading day of 2017, CenturyLink still offers a nearly 9% dividend yield. Should investors rush into the stock at around $25 per share? Please read the full article on Seeking Alpha.  Disclosure: Long CTL. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

Summary CenturyLink reported Q414 results that continued some negative trends. The telecom giant continues to produce substantial free cash flow despite a lack of growth. The stock has downside protection with a 5.5 dividend yield and a large approved stock buyback plan. The recent quarterly results of CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL ) are starting to show some cracks in the previously stable operations that offered investors high yields. The telecom giant is still struggling with the shift from legacy access lines to modern services like high-speed Internet and pay-TV services. Combined with a large stock buyback and the hope of a REIT spinoff, the stock soared above $44 during the summer. Now, however, the results are starting to lag and the buyback spending is slowing. The latter is not a good sign for a highly rewarding spinoff that would make the current stock price around $40 attractive. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disc...

Summary CenturyLink continues growing high-speed Internet and video customers. The company is following the path of DirecTV with strong buybacks. Stock remains attractive with a net payout yield of 10%.  The recent agreement by AT&T (NYSE: T ) to purchase DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV ) for nearly $50 billion highlights a couple of trends that investors can utilize with other stocks. The obvious trend is that video customers are in high demand these days. The not so obvious trend is that stock buybacks are once again proven to be an effective tool of value creation for shareholders.  Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: Long CTL, DTV.  Please review the disclaimer page for details.

Summary CenturyLink reported Q2 '14 earnings. Solid results back opinion that investors should continue owning the stock. Research anticipated that results would be unexciting, but strong enough to produce returns for shareholders. Read the full update on Seeking Alpha.  Disclosure: Long CTL. Please review the disclaimer page for more details.           

The provider of local data and voice services might have limited growth prospects, but CenturyLink ( NYSE: CTL     ) continues to innovate to maintain high levels of free cash flow, or FCF. The stock has recently surged following strong earnings and vindication that the large stock-buyback plan is paying off. The company is shifting from legacy voice services to strategic products of high-speed Internet, Prism TV, and managed hosting services. The move isn't as much geared toward reinvigorating growth as stabilizing earnings and FCF potential. The other similar local telecom providers of Frontier Communications ( NASDAQ: FTR     ) and Windstream Holdings ( NASDAQ: WIN     ) sit in a similar situation, attempting to trade legacy revenue for new strategic products to maintain cash flow. Are investors starting to warm up to the sustainability of this model? Read the full article here . Disclosure: Long CTL. Please read disclaimer page f...

Back on the Q113 earnings report , CenturyLink, Inc. ( CTL ) defied the critics by announcing that the company had already repurchased $682 million worth of stock through May 7, 2013. Remember the company had slashed the dividend back in February, in order to better allocate cash and implement a more flexible stock buyback plan (see Did CenturyLink Just Become A Gold Mine To New Investors? ) Critics at the time suggested that the company would never actually repurchase shares. The mega-cap stock plunged 26% that day, but it has since rebounded to nearly $38 from the lows below $32. The third-largest telecommunications provider in the U.S. has already provided savvy investors with a nearly 20% gain from those first-day lows not even counting dividends. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: Long CTL. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

As investors might remember, back in mid-February CenturyLink, Inc. ( CTL ) did the unthinkable at the time. The company slashed the dividend in order to better allocate cash and implement a more flexible stock buyback plan (see Did CenturyLink Just Become A Gold Mine To New Investors? ). The mega-cap stock plunged 26%, which is unheard of for a stock that still maintains a market cap of $22B. As cooler heads prevailed, the third largest telecommunications provider in the U.S. has rebounded sharply from the initial lows below $32. At the current price over $35, savvy investors have already made 10% from those first day lows. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclaimer: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

Last week CenturyLink, Inc. ( CTL ) did the unthinkable by slashing the dividend in favor of a more flexible stock buyback program. In response, investors slashed the stock price 26% to correspond with the dividend cut. Were investors being rational? Per the company, it is the third largest telecommunications provider in the United States and is recognized as a leader in the network services. Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No positions. Please review the disclaimer page for more details.