By Columbia Threadneedle Investment Team
U.S. companies are cutting or suspending dividends at a rate not seen since the global financial crisis. But investors should remain focused on the longer term performance.
Dividends have historically been an important component of equity total return. In the beginning of 2020, we believed their contribution would rise relative to equity price returns, which we expected to be lower.
But now, given the pressures of the pandemic-related economic slowdown, companies looking for ways to conserve cash flow are targeting dividend payments. The number of companies that have announced a