How to Find a Company’s Dividends Per Share

A company’s dividend is a distribution of its earnings to shareholders. The dividend per share (DPS) is this payout expressed on a per-share basis, representing the cash amount an investor receives for each share of stock they own. For investors focused on generating income, the DPS helps assess the direct cash return from an investment. It can also indicate a company’s financial stability, as a consistent or growing dividend can signal a healthy business.

Calculating Dividends Per Share from Financial Statements

You can determine a company’s dividend per share by manually calculating it using its financial statements. The formula is the total dividends paid to common shareholders divided by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. The components for this formula are found in a company’s public financial filings.

To find the total dividends paid, look at the Statement of Cash Flows, within the “Cash Flows from Financing Activities” section. This line item shows the total cash paid for dividends during the reporting period.

The other part of the formula, the weighted-average number of shares outstanding, is on the company’s Income Statement. Companies use this share count to calculate Earnings Per Share (EPS), so it is presented nearby. Using a weighted average is important because the number of outstanding shares can change during the year due to stock buybacks or new issuances. For example, if a company paid $200 million in dividends and had 100 million weighted-average shares, the DPS would be $2.00.

Using Online Financial Data Providers

Online financial data providers offer a quick way to find pre-calculated dividend information. Websites like Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch provide easy access to this data for publicly traded companies.

Simply navigate to one of these sites and enter the company’s name or stock ticker symbol in the search bar. On the stock’s summary page, the dividend information is displayed prominently, often labeled “Forward Dividend & Yield.” This field provides the dividend per share and the dividend yield, which is the dividend as a percentage of the stock price.

When using these sites, understand the difference between a “trailing dividend” and a “forward dividend.” A trailing dividend is based on actual payments over the previous 12 months, offering a historical perspective. A forward dividend is an estimate of the upcoming year’s dividend, typically calculated by annualizing the most recent quarterly payment. The forward dividend is a projection and can be more relevant for future income estimates, assuming the company maintains its current dividend policy.

Locating Dividend Information in Company Reports

Beyond third-party websites, investors can find dividend per share information directly from a company’s own official reports and announcements. Companies formally declare dividends through press releases, typically posted on the “Investor Relations” section of their corporate website. These announcements state the dividend amount per share, the record date, and the payment date.

This information is also in a company’s mandatory filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), such as the Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The dividend per share figure can be found in a “Financial Highlights” or “Selected Financial Data” table. If not summarized there, the information can be located within the “Notes to the Financial Statements,” which provide detailed explanations for the main financial statements.

Checking Your Brokerage Account

If you own shares of a company, you can find dividend information within your brokerage account. Platforms like Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and ETRADE display key metrics, including the current dividend per share and dividend yield, when you view a stock holding. This allows for easy monitoring of your investments.

Brokerage accounts also provide a record of dividends you have received. By reviewing account statements, an investor can see the exact dividend per share they were paid for each holding. These statements list all account activity, including cash deposits from dividends, which is useful for record-keeping and tax purposes, as dividends are reported on Form 1099-DIV.