A dividend is a distribution of a portion of a company's earnings paid to its shareholders. Dividends can be issued as cash payments, as shares of stock, or other property. There are several accessible sources to help investors identify dividend-paying stocks. Below we've listed a number of resourcesthat can help you determine which stocks pay dividends.
Key Takeaways
- Dividend-paying stocks are attractive to investors because they distribute a portion of their earnings to shareholders in the form of cash payments or shares of stock.
- Investors can determine which stocks pay dividends by researching financial news sites, such as Investopedia's Markets Today page.
- Many stock brokerages offer their customers screening tools that help them find information on dividend-paying stocks.
- Investors can also find dividend information on the Security and Exchange Commission's website, through specialty providers, and through the stock exchanges themselves.
Financial News Sites and Apps
You can find many options available on the Internet—such as financial news sites and aggregators—that provide top-notch data, tools, and analysis for investors. Whether getting a quote on an individual stock to finding specific information about a company's current dividend yield or checking out a screener to find out the highest-paying dividends in an industry, you can quickly use these (often) free resources to track down the information you need.
Sites like CNBC, Morningstar, The Wall Street Journal, and Investopediaare all great resources available for researching dividend data. For example, on Investopedia's Markets Today page, you can use the stock search tool to enter the company name or ticker symbol that you're researching. You'll be taken to a page that includes that company's stock chart, company profile, and fundamental data. Here you'll see if the company pays dividends. You'll find information about the dividend yield, the amount of dividend paid for the year, and dividends per share.
Brokerage Accounts
Manyindividual stock brokerage accounts provide online research and pricing information to their customers. Similar to the news sites, investors caneasily find information on dividend amounts and payout dates, as well as other types of peer comparisonsand screeners. An additional benefit for users of online accounts provided by abroker is the ability to tie into any current (or past) holdings fromportfoliosthat are dividend-payersand generate additional types ofpersonalized reportsand analysis.
Securities and Exchange Commission
All publicly-traded companies are required by law to report on Form 1099 all dividendsthey have paid to investors during the previous tax year on a quarterly and annual basis. As a result, you can research these filings on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's website using their EDGAR system. You can also quickly research a company’s financial information and operations by reviewingreports filed on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.
Specialty Providers
There are a number of dividend-focused specialty resources available online for getting comprehensive information ondividends. Some of these sites are free, some have paid subscription content, and some have a combination of free and paid content. With these specialty providers, you might have access to a calendar of upcoming ex-dividend dates, as well as screeners, tools, and rankings. The Value Line Investment Survey provides a number of services to help investors select dividend stocks.
The Stock Exchanges
Tools and resources are also provided from the stock exchanges themselves to keep investors up-to-date with dividend data for thecompanies they list.The NASDAQ provides a dividend calendar, history tool, and screeners on the highest-yielding stocks. Meanwhile, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) provides a historical databaseto research ex-dividend dates by a selected date range.
FAQs
Investors can determine which stocks pay dividends by researching financial news sites, such as Investopedia's Markets Today page. Many stock brokerages offer their customers screening tools that help them find information on dividend-paying stocks.
How can you tell which stocks pay dividends? ›
These six tips can help you identify dividend-paying stocks with strong financial health:
- Don't chase high dividend yields. ...
- Assess the payout ratio. ...
- Check the balance sheet. ...
- Look at dividend growth. ...
- Understand sector risk. ...
- Consider a fund.
Corporate actions such as dividends are handled directly by the share registry. You can access your historical dividend payments by contacting the share registries that the company is associated with. The share registry will be able to provide you with information such as payment history and tax statements.
How do I know if I will get a dividend? ›
You must buy a stock before the ex-dividend date to receive the recently declared dividend. If you buy the stock on the ex-date, you will not be entitled to the dividend because on that date, the stock begins trading ex-dividend, or "without dividend."
Where can I find a company's dividends? ›
Investors can view the total amount of dividends paid for the reporting period in the financing section of the statement of cash flows. The cash flow statement shows how much cash is entering or leaving a company.
What are the top 5 dividend stocks to buy? ›
Compare the best dividend stocks
| Company (Ticker) | Sector | Market Cap |
|---|
| Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) | Communication services | $150.06B |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) | Health care | $94.66B |
| Altria Group Inc. (MO) | Consumer staples | $85.64B |
| Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) | Energy | $58.85B |
3 more rowsIf the price has not been adjusted the chart will be labeled 'Price' or 'Price Change. ' Note that charted portfolios always include dividends, regardless of the dividend chart setting.
Where can I find my dividends? ›
You will receive the dividends allotted on your shares on the payment date. This date occurs about a month after the record date. The amount will be reflected in your primary bank account.
How long do you need to hold a stock to get dividends? ›
The ex-dividend date is the first day the stock trades without its dividend, thus ex-dividend. If you want to get the dividend payment, you need to own the stock by this day. That means you have to buy before the end of the day before the ex-dividend date to get the next dividend. In other words, it's the cut-off date.
How do you find dividend payout? ›
You can calculate the dividend payout ratio using the following formula:
- (annual dividend payments / annual net earnings) * 100 = dividend payout ratio. ...
- (3M / 5M) * 100 = 60% ...
- year-end retained earnings – retained earnings at the start of year = net retained earnings. ...
- $10M – $5M = $5M retained earnings.
You'll find these in a company's 10-K annual report. Here is the formula for calculating dividends: Annual net income minus net change in retained earnings = dividends paid.
What is the best website to check dividends? ›
With Sharesight's dividend tracker software, dividend payments are automatically tracked in an investor's portfolio. Investors can view their dividend income and dividend history at any time, see the impact of dividend yield on their returns, and track dividend reinvestment plans (DRPs) in their portfolio.
How do I see my dividends in public? ›
How to find dividends on the app:
- Select the icon with 3 lines on it in the top left corner.
- Select the History Icon.
- Scroll over and select Dividends.
Distributions are announced in advance and determined by the company's board of directors. Companies pay dividends for a variety of reasons, most often to show their financial stability and to keep or attract investors.
How do you know if a stock pays qualified dividends? ›
How Do Investors Know If the Dividends They've Received Are Qualified or Not? The online trading platform or broker that an investor employs will break down the qualified and ordinary dividends paid in separate boxes on IRS Form 1099-DIV.
How do you pick a stock that pays dividends? ›
The market often punishes such companies harshly, leading to significant declines in stock value. Instead, dividend stock investors should prioritize companies with a history of consistent earnings growth. These companies are typically more stable and reliable, providing a steady stream of income through dividends.
How do you screen stocks for dividends? ›
Dividend investors should seek out companies with long-term profitability and earnings growth expectations between 5% and 15%. Companies should boast the cash flow generation necessary to support their dividend-payment programs. Investors should avoid companies with debt-to-equity ratios higher than 2.00.
