Dividend in Stock market

 

DIVIDEND

What is 'Dividend'?

Definition: Dividend refers to a reward, cash or otherwise, that a company gives to its shareholders. Dividends can be issued in various forms, such as cash payment, stocks or any other form. A company’s dividend is decided by its board of directors and it requires the shareholders’ approval. However, it is not obligatory for a company to pay dividend. Dividend is usually a part of the profit that the company shares with its shareholders.

Description: After paying its creditors, a company can use part or whole of the residual profits to reward its shareholders as dividends. However, when firms face cash shortage or when it needs cash for reinvestments, it can also skip paying dividends. When a company announces dividend, it also fixes a record date and all shareholders who are registered as of that date become eligible to get dividend payout in proportion to their shareholding. The company usually mails the cheques to shareholders within in a week or so. Stocks are normally bought or sold with dividend until two business days ahead of the record date and then they turn ex-dividend. A recent study found that dividend-paying firms in India fell from 24 per cent in 2001 to almost 16 per cent in 2009 before rising to 19 per cent in 2010.

Understanding Dividends:

Dividends must be approved by the shareholders by voting rights. Although cash dividends are common, dividends can also be issued as shares of stock. Various mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) also pay dividends.

A dividend is a reward paid to the shareholders for their investment in a company’s equity, and it usually originates from the company's net profits. Though profits can be kept within the company as retained earnings to be used for the company’s ongoing and future business activities, a remainder can be allocated to the shareholders as a dividend.

Companies may still make dividend payments even when they don’t make suitable profits to maintain their established track record of distributions.

Dividend-Paying Companies:

Larger, established companies with predictable profits are often the best dividend payers and the following industry sectors maintain a regular record of dividend payments: 

• Basic materials
• Oil and gas
• Banks and financial
• Healthcare and pharmaceuticals
• Utilities

How Do Dividends Affect a Stock's Share Price?

Dividend payments impact share price and the price may rise on the announcement approximately by the amount of the dividend declared and then decline by a similar amount at the opening session of the ex-dividend date.

For example, a company that is trading at $60 per share declares a $2 dividend on the announcement date. As the news becomes public, the share price may increase by $2 and hit $62.

If the stock trades at $63 one business day before the ex-dividend date. On the ex-dividend date, it's adjusted by $2 and begins trading at $61 at the start of the trading session on the ex-dividend date, because anyone buying on the ex-dividend date will not receive the dividend.

This is not guaranteed but often the price adjusts by the dividend on the ex-dividend date.

Why Do Companies Pay Dividends?

Dividends are often expected by the shareholders as a reward for their investment in a company. Dividend payments reflect positively on a company and help maintain investors’ trust.

A high-value dividend declaration can indicate that the company is doing well and has generated good profits. But it can also indicate that the company does not have suitable projects to generate better returns in the future. Therefore, it is utilizing its cash to pay shareholders instead of reinvesting it into growth.

A company with a long history of dividend payments that declares a reduction of the dividend amount, or its elimination, may signal to investors that the company is in trouble. AT&T Inc. cut its annual dividend in half to $1.11 on Feb. 1, 2022, and its shares fell 4% that day.

How Often Are Dividends Distributed to Shareholders?

Dividends are commonly distributed to shareholders quarterly, though some companies may pay dividends semi-annually. Payments can be received as cash or as reinvestment into shares of company stock.

What Is an Example of a Dividend?

If a company's board of directors decides to issue an annual 5% dividend per share, and the company’s shares are worth $100, the dividend is $5. If the dividends are issued every quarter, each distribution is $1.25. 

How do stock dividends work?

A dividend is paid per share of stock — if you own 30 shares in a company and that company pays $2 in annual cash dividends, you will receive $60 per year.

Types of dividends

Usually, dividends are paid out on a company’s common stock. There are several types of dividends a company can choose to pay out to its shareholders.

Cash dividends. The most common type of dividend. Companies generally pay these in cash directly into the shareholder's brokerage account.

Stock dividends. Instead of paying cash, companies can also pay investors with additional shares of stock.

Dividend reinvestment programs (DRIPs). Investors in DRIPs are able to reinvest any dividends received back into the company's stock, often at a discount.

Special dividends.  These dividends payout on all shares of a company’s common stock, but don’t recur like regular dividends. A company often issues a special dividend to distribute profits that have accumulated over several years and for which it has no immediate need.

Preferred dividends. Payouts issued to owners of preferred stock. Preferred stock is a type of stock that functions less like a stock and more like a bond. Dividends are usually paid quarterly, but unlike dividends on common stock, dividends on preferred stock are generally fixed.

How to evaluate dividends

An investor can use different methods to learn more about a company's dividend and compare it to similar companies.

Dividend per share (DPS)

As mentioned above, companies that can increase dividends year after year are sought after. The dividend per share (DPS) calculation shows the amount of dividends distributed by the company for each share of stock during a certain time period. Keeping tabs on a company’s DPS allows an investor to see which companies are able to grow their dividends over time.

Dividend yield

Financial websites or online broker platforms will report a company’s dividend yield, which is a measure of the company’s annual dividend divided by the stock price on a certain date.

The dividend yield evens the playing field and allows for a more accurate comparison of dividend stocks: A $10 stock paying $0.10 quarterly ($0.40 per share annually) has the same yield as a $100 stock paying $1 quarterly ($4 annually). The yield is 4% in both cases.