AT&T Expects Increased Investment In 5G And Fiber To Support Longer-term Growth

(RTTNews) - AT&T Inc. (T) expects that increased investment in 5G and fiber will support longer-term growth and healthy returns for shareholders.

WarnerMedia-Discovery deal will significantly improve AT&T's financial flexibility by providing $43 billion for debt reduction, John Stankey, chief executive officer of AT&T, Monday spoke at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference. AT&T last week announced a plan to separate its WarnerMedia operations and combine them with Discovery Inc.

Stankey said AT&T does not expect changes to the dividend prior to the close of the WarnerMedia-Discovery transaction, which is expected to occur in mid-2022.

Stankey reiterated that after close and subject to AT&T Board approval, AT&T is expected to continue to be among the top 5% of dividend paying stocks with an anticipated annual dividend level of $8 billion to $9 billion per year.