v3.24.2.u1
capital structure financial policies (Tables)
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2024
capital structure financial policies  
Disclosure of financial objectives that support the entity's long-term strategy

As at, or for the 12-month periods ended, June 30 ($ in millions)

    

Objective

    

2024

    

2023

Components of debt and coverage ratios

 

 

  

  

Net debt 1

 

$

28,179

$

26,629

EBITDA – excluding restructuring and other costs 2

 

$

7,318

$

6,899

Net interest cost 3 (Note 9)

 

$

1,329

$

1,084

Debt ratio

 

 

 

Net debt to EBITDA – excluding restructuring and other costs

 

2.20

2.70 4

 

3.85

 

3.86

Coverage ratios

 

 

 

Earnings coverage 5

 

 

1.8

 

2.5

EBITDA – excluding restructuring and other costs interest coverage 6

 

 

5.5

 

6.4

1Net debt and total managed capitalization are calculated as follows:

As at June 30

    

Note

    

2024

    

2023

Long-term debt

 

26

$

28,151

$

26,588

Debt issuance costs netted against long-term debt

 

  

123

 

114

Derivative (assets) liabilities used to manage interest rate and currency risks associated with U.S. dollar-denominated long-term debt, net

 

  

(7)

 

72

Accumulated other comprehensive income amounts arising from financial instruments used to manage interest rate and currency risks associated with U.S. dollar-denominated long-term debt — excluding tax effects

 

  

(205)

 

(90)

Cash and temporary investments, net

 

  

(927)

 

(649)

Short-term borrowings

 

22

1,044

 

594

Net debt

 

  

28,179

26,629

Common equity

15,809

16,407

Non-controlling interests

1,236

1,172

Less: accumulated other comprehensive income amounts included above in common equity and non-controlling interests

(24)

(55)

Total managed capitalization

$

45,200

$

44,153

* EBITDA is not a standardized financial measure under IFRS-IASB and might not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other issuers; we define EBITDA as operating revenues and other income less goods and services purchased and employee benefits expense. We report EBITDA because it is a key measure that management uses to evaluate the performance of our business, and it is also utilized to determine compliance with certain debt covenants.

2EBITDA – excluding restructuring and other costs is calculated as follows:

EBITDA –

Restructuring

excluding

EBITDA

and other costs

restructuring

    

(Note 5)

    

(Note 16)

    

and other costs

Add

 

Six-month period ended June 30, 2024

$

3,314

$

339

$

3,653

Year ended December 31, 2023

 

6,431

717

7,148

Deduct

Six-month period ended June 30, 2023

(3,209)

(274)

(3,483)

EBITDA – excluding restructuring and other costs

$

6,536

$

782

$

7,318

3Net interest cost is defined as financing costs, excluding employee defined benefit plans net interest, unrealized changes in virtual power purchase agreements forward element, recoveries on long-term debt prepayment premium and repayment of debt, calculated on a 12-month trailing basis (expenses recorded for long-term debt prepayment premium, if any, are included in net interest cost) (see Note 9).
4Our long-term objective range for this ratio is 2.202.70 times. The ratio as at June 30, 2024, is outside the long-term objective range. We may permit, and have permitted, this ratio to go outside the objective range (for long-term investment opportunities), but we will endeavour to return this ratio to circa 2.70 times in the medium term (following the spectrum auctions in 2021 and 2023, and the mmWave spectrum auction upcoming), consistent with our long-term strategy. We are in compliance with the leverage ratio covenant in our credit facilities, which states that we may not permit our net debt to operating cash flow ratio to exceed 4.25:1.00 (see Note 26(d)); the calculation of the debt ratio is substantially similar to the calculation of the leverage ratio covenant in our credit facilities.
5Earnings coverage is defined in Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 41-101 as net income before borrowing costs and income tax expense, divided by borrowing costs (interest on long-term debt; interest on short-term borrowings and other; long-term debt prepayment premium), and adding back capitalized interest, all such amounts excluding those attributable to non-controlling interests.
6EBITDA – excluding restructuring and other costs interest coverage is defined as EBITDA – excluding restructuring and other costs, divided by net interest cost. This measure is substantially similar to the coverage ratio covenant in our credit facilities.
Disclosure of the dividend payout ratio

For the 12-month periods ended June 30

    

Objective

    

2024

    

2023

Determined using most comparable IFRS-IASB measures

Ratio of TELUS Corporation Common Share dividends declared to cash provided by operating activities – less capital expenditures

 

 

99

%  

168

%

Determined using management measures

TELUS Corporation Common Share dividend payout ratio – net of dividend reinvestment plan effects

 

60%–75% 1

 

83

%  

87

%

1Our objective range for the TELUS Corporation Common Share dividend payout ratio is 60%-75% of free cash flow on a prospective basis.

For the 12-month periods ended June 30 (millions)

    

2024

    

2023

TELUS Corporation Common Share dividends declared

$

2,210

$

2,014

Amount of TELUS Corporation Common Share dividends declared reinvested in TELUS Corporation Common Shares

(697)

 

(730)

TELUS Corporation Common Share dividends declared - net of dividend reinvestment plan effects

$

1,513

$

1,284

* Free cash flow is not a standardized financial measure under IFRS-IASB and might not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers; we define free cash flow as EBITDA (operating revenues and other income less goods and services purchased and employee benefits expense) excluding items that we consider to be of limited predictive value, including certain working capital changes (such as trade receivables and trade payables), proceeds from divested assets, and other sources and uses of cash, as found in the consolidated statements of cash flows. We have issued guidance on, and report, free cash flow because it is a key performance measure that management and investors use to evaluate the performance of our business.

Schedule of calculation of free cash flow, and the reconciliation to cash provided by operating activities

For the 12-month periods ended June 30 (millions)

    

Note

    

2024

    

2023

EBITDA

5

$

6,536

$

6,453

Restructuring and other costs, net of disbursements

 

  

 

90

 

186

Effects of contract asset, acquisition and fulfilment and TELUS Easy Payment mobile device financing

 

  

 

(141)

 

(173)

Effect of lease principal

 

31(b)

 

(611)

 

(506)

Items from the Consolidated statements of cash flows:

 

  

 

 

Share-based compensation, net

 

14

 

110

 

127

Net employee defined benefit plans expense

 

15

 

75

 

80

Employer contributions to employee defined benefit plans

 

  

 

(26)

 

(35)

Loss from equity accounted investments and other

36

Interest paid

 

  

 

(1,264)

 

(1,022)

Interest received

 

  

 

37

 

23

Capital expenditures

 

5

 

(2,718)

 

(3,105)

Free cash flow before income taxes

2,124

2,028

Income taxes paid, net of refunds

 

  

 

(305)

 

(560)

Free cash flow

 

  

 

1,819

 

1,468

Add (deduct):

 

  

 

 

  

Capital expenditures

 

5

 

2,718

 

3,105

Effect of lease principal

611

506

Net change in non-cash operating working capital not included in preceding line items and other individually immaterial items included in net income neither providing nor using cash

(189)

(775)

Cash provided by operating activities

 

  

$

4,959

$

4,304