For income-focused investors, a stock trading near its lows while offering a high dividend yield can present an attractive investment opportunity. One such stock is Telus (TSX:T). Shares of the Canadian telecommunications company are trading near a 52-week low and, even after a significant dividend cut, still offer a yield of more than 5.5%.
However, while Telus’s depressed share price and elevated yield make it a compelling value and income play, investors should look beyond the headline yield. Telus is no longer the dividend-growth story it was a few years ago. The company has shifted its focus toward strengthening its balance sheet, reducing financial pressures, and improving its financial flexibility.
The key question for investors, therefore, is whether Telus’s new dividend is sustainable.
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Telus lowered its dividend
Telus had been one of the top dividend-growth stocks. That changed in December 2025, when management announced a pause in its dividend-growth program while maintaining its quarterly dividend at $0.42 per share.
The pause was an early indication that the company was facing increasing pressure from weaker earnings and a highly competitive operating environment.
Telus has now gone a step further, cutting its quarterly dividend by approximately 55% to $0.9 per share. That translates into an annualized dividend of $0.75 per share.
For existing shareholders, the cut is undoubtedly disappointing. But from an investment perspective, the more important issue is what the reduction means for Telus’s financial position. The dividend cut should be viewed as a reset of its capital-allocation strategy.
Why Telus reset its dividend
The Canadian telecom market has become increasingly challenging. Aggressive pricing competition is putting pressure on margins. At the same time, slower subscriber growth is limiting the industry’s ability to generate meaningful revenue expansion. Lower population growth, regulatory pressures, and increased competition from new entrants are compounding the challenges.
Telus’s recent financial results reflect this pressure. The company’s adjusted net income declined to $1.41 billion in 2025 from $1.55 billion in 2024. The weakness has carried into 2026, with adjusted net income falling another 26% year over year in the second quarter.
That deterioration helps explain why management has chosen to prioritize cash preservation and debt reduction.
The dividend cut to strengthen Telus’s balance sheet
While a dividend reduction is negative from an income perspective, it can be positive for the company’s long-term financial health.
Telus reported net debt to adjusted EBITDA of approximately 3.5 times at the end of the second quarter. That is a meaningful level of leverage, particularly in an environment where earnings growth is under pressure. Management is targeting leverage of approximately three times or lower by the end of 2028.
The dividend reset is expected to play an important role in achieving that target. Telus estimates that the lower dividend will generate approximately $2.7 billion in cumulative cash savings through 2028, with those funds directed toward debt reduction.
Lower leverage would reduce balance-sheet risk, lower financing costs, and give Telus more room to invest in its network and pursue other growth opportunities.
Another important change is Telus’s revised dividend payout framework. Telus now targets a dividend payout ratio of 45% to 60% of trailing 12-month free cash flow, compared with its previous target of 60% to 75%. That is a significant improvement in the margin of safety surrounding the dividend.
A lower payout ratio means Telus should retain more of its internally generated cash, allowing it to reduce debt while continuing to fund capital expenditures and other strategic priorities.
The bottom line
Telus may no longer be primarily a dividend-growth investment, but its current dividend still offers attractive income. The dividend reset provides greater financial flexibility to reduce leverage, strengthen free cash flow, and improve long-term capital allocation.
Telus is also monetizing non-core assets, which should further support its balance sheet. Meanwhile, the company continues to add customers and benefits from strong subscriber loyalty. With capital spending expected to decline, Telus should have more flexibility to return cash to shareholders. The new, more sustainable payout ratio also strengthens the outlook for long-term dividend stability.
