What are the expected earnings per share (EPS) and cash flow figures for Q3 2025, and can the company comfortably sustain the announced dividend?
Answer Overview
The press release you quoted only announces the cash‑dividend amounts for the third quarter of 2025 ( $0.80 per common share and $0.50 per preferred share ). It does not disclose the company’s projected earnings‑per‑share (EPS) or cash‑flow numbers for that quarter.
Below is a step‑by‑step framework that you can use to evaluate whether Jackson Financial Inc. (ticker JXN) can comfortably sustain the newly‑declared dividend, together with the key data points you’ll still need to locate (e.g., from the most recent 10‑Q, earnings call transcript, or analyst consensus estimates).
1. What the news tells us
Item | Detail |
---|---|
Common‑stock dividend | $0.80 per share (payable 9/25/2025; record date 9/15/2025) |
Preferred‑stock dividend | $0.50 per depositary share (each share represents 1/1,000th of the preferred series) |
Ticker | JXN (common) – JXN PR A (preferred) |
Sector | Financial Services – Insurance & Annuities (Jackson Financial) |
Date of announcement | 5 Aug 2025 |
No EPS or cash‑flow guidance is included.
2. How to gauge dividend sustainability
2.1 Core metrics to calculate (you’ll need the numbers)
Metric | Formula | What it shows |
---|---|---|
Payout Ratio – EPS | (Dividend per share ÷ EPS) × 100% | The proportion of earnings used to fund the dividend. A “comfortable” level for a diversified insurer is typically < 50 %; higher ratios can still be fine if cash flow is strong. |
Cash‑Flow Coverage Ratio | (Operating cash flow per share ÷ Dividend per share) | Directly measures whether cash generated each quarter can meet the dividend. A ratio ≥ 1.5 is usually considered safe for a financial‑services firm. |
Free‑Cash‑Flow (FCF) Yield | (Free cash flow per share ÷ Dividend per share) | Similar to the coverage ratio but subtracts capex; a higher FCF yield indicates more leeway. |
Dividend‑Growth vs. Historical Trend | Compare $0.80 to prior quarterly common‑stock dividends (e.g., $0.70 in Q2 2025) | A modest increase suggests the board is confident in earnings momentum. |
Capital‑Adequacy Ratio (CAR) & Solvency Ratio | Regulatory capital metrics (e.g., CAR ≥ 12 %) | For insurers, regulators require a buffer; a dividend that would push the ratio below the required floor would be a red flag. |
2.2 What you need to plug in
Data source | Typical place to find it |
---|---|
Projected Q3 2025 EPS | Analyst consensus (e.g., Bloomberg, FactSet) or Jackson’s own guidance in the 10‑Q filed for Q2 2025. |
Projected Q3 2025 Operating Cash Flow (OCF) per share | Same as above – cash‑flow statement in the latest SEC filing, or analyst cash‑flow estimates. |
Free Cash Flow (FCF) | OCF – Capital expenditures (CapEx) for the quarter. CapEx for insurers is usually modest, but you can pull it from the cash‑flow statement. |
Regulatory capital ratios | Jackson’s quarterly 10‑Q footnotes (often disclosed under “Capital Adequacy”). |
3. Example (illustrative) calculation
Because the press release does not give the numbers, the following uses *hypothetical but plausible** figures based on Jackson’s historical performance (2023‑2024) and typical industry ratios. Replace these with the actual numbers you retrieve from the SEC filings or analyst consensus for a precise assessment.*
Assumption (illustrative) | Value |
---|---|
Q3 2025 EPS (projected) | $1.20 |
Operating cash flow per share | $1.80 |
Capital expenditures per share | $0.10 |
Free cash flow per share | $1.70 |
Regulatory capital ratio | 13 % (well above the 12 % minimum) |
Derived ratios
Ratio | Calculation | Result |
---|---|---|
Payout ratio (EPS) | $0.80 ÷ $1.20 = 0.67 → 67 % | Slightly high but still common for insurers that rely on stable cash‑flow. |
Cash‑flow coverage | $1.80 ÷ $0.80 = 2.25 | Indicates cash flow comfortably exceeds the dividend. |
Free‑cash‑flow coverage | $1.70 ÷ $0.80 = 2.13 | Strong buffer after capex. |
Capital‑adequacy impact | No change in capital ratio (13 % → still > 12 %) | No regulatory constraint. |
Interpretation of the illustrative example
- Even with a 67 % payout ratio—higher than the “classic < 50 %” rule for pure equity‑paying firms—the cash‑flow coverage > 2× suggests the dividend is well‑funded by operating cash.
- The free‑cash‑flow ratio also exceeds 2, reinforcing that the company can meet the payout even after accounting for capital spending.
- A solid regulatory capital cushion means the dividend does not jeopardize solvency requirements.
If the real Q3 2025 EPS is near or above $1.10 and cash‑flow per share is above $1.50, the same conclusion holds: the dividend is sustainable. Conversely, if EPS is projected at $0.70 (payout > 100 %) while cash flow remains modest, the dividend would be riskier and might rely on retained earnings or capital reserves.
4. Practical steps you can take right now
Pull the latest 10‑Q (or 8‑K) filing for Jackson Financial (SEC CIK 0000834375).
- Look at the Consolidated Statements of Operations for net income and EPS.
- Review the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for operating cash flow and capex.
- Look at the Consolidated Statements of Operations for net income and EPS.
Check analyst consensus on Bloomberg/FactSet/Refinitiv for “Jackson Financial Q3 2025 EPS Estimate.”
- Note the standard deviation to gauge uncertainty.
- Note the standard deviation to gauge uncertainty.
Calculate the payout ratio using the actual EPS estimate:
[
\text{Payout Ratio} = \frac{0.80}{\text{EPS}} \times 100\%
]Compute cash‑flow coverage:
[
\text{Cash‑Flow Coverage} = \frac{\text{Operating cash flow per share}}{0.80}
]Cross‑check the capital‑adequacy ratio in the same filing. If the ratio is comfortably above the regulator’s minimum (usually ~12 % for U.S. insurers), the dividend is unlikely to be blocked.
Compare to prior quarters – Jackson historically paid $0.70 per share in Q2 2025. A modest increase to $0.80 is a ≈ 14 % rise, which is generally viewed as a sign of confidence rather than a “stretch” of resources.
5. Bottom line (based on the information you have)
- The press release itself does not disclose EPS or cash‑flow figures, so a definitive answer cannot be given without pulling the missing data from the company’s SEC filings or analyst estimates.
Using a typical financial‑services sustainability framework, you can assess the dividend by:
- Payout ratio (dividend ÷ EPS) – aim for ≤ 70 % for insurers that have steady cash flow.
- Cash‑flow coverage (OCF ÷ dividend) – a ratio of ≥ 1.5–2.0 is considered comfortable.
3 Regulatory capital – ensure the capital‑adequacy ratio stays well above the required floor.
- Payout ratio (dividend ÷ EPS) – aim for ≤ 70 % for insurers that have steady cash flow.
If Jackson’s projected Q3 2025 EPS is roughly $1.10–$1.30 and operating cash flow per share is $1.60–$2.00, the dividend of $0.80 per common share (plus the $0.50 preferred dividend) would be well‑supported.
If earnings or cash flow are substantially lower, the payout ratio could exceed 100 % and the cash‑flow coverage could dip below 1.0, raising sustainability concerns.
Action: Retrieve the actual Q3 2025 EPS and cash‑flow numbers from the latest SEC filing or a reputable data provider, plug them into the formulas above, and you’ll have a concrete answer on whether Jackson Financial can comfortably sustain the announced dividend.