Understanding Payout Ratio
It is the amount of dividends paid to shareholders relative to the total net income of a company. For example, let's assume Company ABC has earnings per share of $1 and pays dividends per share of $0.60. In this scenario, the payout ratio would be 60% (0.6 / 1).
The dividend payout ratio can be calculated as the yearly dividend per share divided by the earnings per share, or equivalently, the dividends divided by net income (as shown below).
Healthy. A range of 35% to 55% is considered healthy and appropriate from a dividend investor's point of view. A company that is likely to distribute roughly half of its earnings as dividends means that the company is well established and a leader in its industry.
The payout ratio formula is expressed as total dividends divided by the net income during the period. Mathematically, it is represented as, Payout Ratio = Total Dividends / Net Income. The payout ratio formula can also be expressed as dividends per share divided by earnings per share (EPS).
Experts say it's wise to look at another gauge: the dividend payout ratio, or the percentage of earnings paid as dividends. The higher the figure, the greater the risk the company takes as it won't be able to avoid a dividend cut if things go wrong.
A dividend policy is the policy a company uses to structure its dividend payout to shareholders. ... This is the dividend irrelevance theory, which infers that dividend payouts minimally affect a stock's price.
Divide the quarterly dividend by 3. For example, if the the company pays a quarterly dividend of $. 30 per share, then the monthly dividend equals $. 10 per share.
Dividend Increases
There are two primary reasons for increases in a company's dividend per share payout. The first is simply an increase in the company's net profits out of which dividends are paid. If the company is performing well and cash flows are improving, there is more room to pay shareholders higher dividends.
This is particularly evident by looking at the company's payout ratio, or its dividend payments as a percentage of earnings. Apple's payout ratio is just 27%.
The seven highest dividend yields in the S&P 500:
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