Introduction
The dividend yield, expressed as a percentage, is a financial ratio (dividend/price) that shows how much a company pays out in dividends each year relative to its stock price. The dividend yield is a way to measure how much cash flow you are getting for each dollar invested in an equity position. In the absence of any capital gains, dividends are treated as the return on stock investment. Investors can be classified as growth-oriented and value-oriented investors, where the former invests in growing companies and expects returns in the form of capital gains as the company grows over time. Value-oriented investors, on the other hand, expect stable returns in the form of dividends along with capital gains over the long term. The dividend yield ratio is highly useful for value-oriented investors.
Formula
The dividend yield formula is as follows:
Dividend Yield = Annual Dividend per share / Market value per share
Where:
▪Dividend per share is the company’s total annual dividend payment, divided by the total number of shares outstanding
▪ Market value per share is the current share price of the company
Example
Company A trades at a price of $60. Over the course of one year, the company paid consistent quarterly dividends of $0.50 per share. The dividend yield ratio for Company A is calculated as follows:
Dividend Yield Ratio = $0.50 + $0.50 + $0.50 + $0.50 / $60 = 0.03333 = 3.33%
The dividend yield ratio for Company A is 3.33%. Therefore, an investor would earn 3.33% on shares of Company A in the form of dividends.
Dividend Yield Ratio Across Industries
The comparison of dividend yield ratios should only be done for companies operating in the same industry. Average yields vary significantly between industries. Yields can also vary for different companies in the same industry. The average dividend yield for several industries is as follows:
- Basic materials industry: 4.92%
- Financial services industry: 4.17%
- Healthcare industry: 2.28%
- Industrial industry: 1.76%
- Services industry: 2.37%
- Technology industry: 3.2%
- Utility industry: 3.96%
Analysis
As we already know, dividends are essential for investors who wish to make a continuous passive income from their investments. The dividend yield ratio will give you the productivity of your investments. Dividends are also considered as a sign of a stable company since only profit-making companies pay dividends. Historically, companies that pay dividends mostly continue to do so as a dividend cut is received adversely by the markets. The companies that offer regular dividends are considered as mature companies since it shows the control over liquidity position. Since value investors prefer this, such companies may well even in the time of market lows.
A high or low yield depends on factors such as the industry and the business life cycle of the company. For example, it may be in the best interest of a fast-growing company to not pay any dividends. The money might be better used by reinvesting into the company to grow the business.
On the other hand, a mature company may report a high yield due to a relative lack of future high growth potential. Therefore, the yield ratio does not necessarily indicate a good or bad company. Rather, the ratio is used by investors to determine which stocks align with their investment strategy.
Explanation
Dividend yield ratio is one of the several parameters that are used to evaluate a company before purchasing its stocks. Investors also use the forward dividend yield ratio and trailing dividend yield ratio to get a better understanding of the company’s dividend yield. The dividend yield ratio is significantly different across several industries. Industries such as IT or electronics are known to have a negligible dividend yield. On the contrary, public sector units (PSU) and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) can have a stable dividend yield. It is essential to understand that not all companies with a high dividend yield ratio are worth investing. If the market price of the share is falling, the dividend yield ratio becomes more attractive. In such an instance, the company might not be a good buy. Finally, it is also vital to understand that the stability in dividend yield and strong fundamentals are a few of the positive indicators for purchasing a stock. One should also consider other macroeconomic factors such as government policies before investing.
Advantages
Historical evidence suggests that a focus on dividends may amplify returns rather than slow them down. For example, according to analysts at Hartford Funds, since 1970, 78% of the total returns from the S&P 500 are from dividends. This assumption is based on the fact that investors are likely to reinvest their dividends back into the S&P 500, which then compounds their ability to earn more dividends in the future.
Disadvantages
While high dividend yields are attractive, it’s possible they may be at the expense of the potential growth of the company. It can be assumed that every dollar a company is paying in dividends to its shareholders is a dollar that the company is not reinvesting to grow and generate more capital gains. Even without earning any dividends, shareholders have the potential to earn higher returns if the value of their stock increases while they hold it as a result of company growth.
It’s not recommended that investors evaluate a stock based on its dividend yield alone. Dividend data can be old or based on erroneous information. Many companies have a very high yield as their stock is falling.
Forward Dividend Yield
A forward dividend yield is an estimation of a year’s dividend expressed as a percentage of the current stock price. The year’s projected dividend is measured by taking a stock’s most recent actual dividend payment and annualizing it. The forward dividend yield is calculated by dividing a year’s worth of future dividend payments by a stock’s current share price.
For example, if a company pays a Q1 dividend of 25 cents, and you assume the company’s dividend will be consistent, the firm will be expected to pay $1.00 in dividends over the course of the year. If the stock price is $20, the forward dividend yield is 5%. If not, trailing yields, which indicate the same value over the previous 12 months, are used.
How To Track Dividend Yield Using MarketXLS Software?
Step 1: Go to the MarketXLS tab in the ribbon and hover over search & help option. Type dividend yield in the search panel. You will notice a list containing an ample amount of functions related to the dividend yield along with their short descriptions like dividend yield, forward annual dividend yield, 5-year average dividend yield, dividend record date, etc. Search for the one you need.
Step 2: Now go to the cell, type the function chosen and select the ticker symbol. Press enter. Use flash fill to perform the same function for all the stocks. You will see the list of dividend yields of different stocks.
Step 3: Similarly, you can also find out all the other dividend information related to stocks. Here I have also used the function of dividend payout ratio, according to my analysis requirement before investing in a stock.
With the help of MarketXLS, you can stream market data for stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, currencies refreshed, or refresh on-demand. You can find all the important fundamental ratios and analyses in a few clicks. You can also get all the historical data (EOD, Intraday) you may need with MarketXLS functions. Update the Excel tables dynamically and save your time in formatting those tables.
Bottom Line
Some investors, such as retirees, are heavily reliant on dividends for their income. For these investors, the dividend yield of their portfolio could have a meaningful effect on their personal finances, making it very important for these investors to select dividend-paying companies with long track records and clear financial strength. For other investors, dividend yield may be less significant, such as for younger investors who are more interested in growth companies that can retain their earnings and use them to finance their growth.
Disclaimer
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None of the content published on marketxls.com constitutes a recommendation that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. The author is not offering any professional advice of any kind. The reader should consult a professional financial advisor to determine their suitability for any strategies discussed herein. The article is written for helping users collect the required information from various sources deemed to be an authority in their content. The trademarks if any are the property of their owners and no representations are made.
Reference
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dividendyield.asp
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/finance/dividend-yield-formula/
Image Source
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