2335 GMT - Australian airline Qantas said it would pay dividends for the first time since 2019, but RBC Capital Markets analyst Owen Birrell points out that the dividends are essentially replacing share buybacks. In the half year ended in December, Qantas completed A$431 million of share buybacks, roughly equivalent with the A$400 million in dividends the airline just announced with its 1H result. No new buybacks were offered. Birrell adds that the Qantas result was broadly in line with analyst consensus, but that the picture was more muddied at the segment level: Qantas domestic, Qantas international and Qantas loyalty all missed expectations, though budget unit Jetstar was a beat. Birrell keeps a "perform" rating on Qantas shares, though investors seem pleased, with Qantas shares recently trading 4.5% higher at A$9.29. (mike.cherney@wsj.com; @Mike_Cherney)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 26, 2025 18:35 ET (23:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
免責聲明：投資有風險，本文並非投資建議，以上內容不應被視為任何金融產品的購買或出售要約、建議或邀請，作者或其他用戶的任何相關討論、評論或帖子也不應被視為此類內容。本文僅供一般參考，不考慮您的個人投資目標、財務狀況或需求。TTM對信息的準確性和完整性不承擔任何責任或保證，投資者應自行研究並在投資前尋求專業建議。