How do I calculate my dividend payout?
To calculate the dividend payout ratio, the formula divides the dividend amount distributed in the period by the net income in the same period. For example, if a company issued $20 million in dividends in the current period with $100 million in net income, the payout ratio would be 20%.
Dividing the stock's annual dividend amount by its current share price allows you to calculate a stock's dividend yield. For example, if a stock is trading at $50 per share, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of 20 cents per share. That company's dividend would be 80 cents.
A dividend payout ratio can be calculated for total dividends by dividing the total dividends by the total net income of a company. This same number can be found by subtracting the retention rate from the number one.
Reinvest Your Payments
The truth is that most investors won't have the money to generate $1,000 per month in dividends; not at first, anyway. Even if you find a market-beating series of investments that average 3% annual yield, you would still need $400,000 in up-front capital to hit your targets.
Dividend Per Share Example
Currently, there are 1 million shares outstanding. The dividend per share would simply be the total dividend divided by the shares outstanding. In this case, it is $500,000 / 1,000,000 = $0.50 dividend per share.
The payments are considered passive income since you can collect the dividends whether you trade the stock actively or not. To generate $5,000 per month in dividends, you would need a portfolio value of approximately $1 million invested in stocks with an average dividend yield of 5%.
Living off dividends is a financial strategy that appeals to those aiming for a reliable income stream without tapping into their investment principal. This approach has intrigued many investors, from early-career individuals to those nearing retirement.
Dividend-paying Stocks
Shares of public companies that split profits with shareholders by paying cash dividends yield between 2% and 6% a year. With that in mind, putting $250,000 into low-yielding dividend stocks or $83,333 into high-yielding shares will get your $500 a month.
Dividends can be classified either as ordinary or qualified. Whereas ordinary dividends are taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividends that meet certain requirements are taxed at lower capital gain rates.
Too many people are paid a lot of money to tell investors that yields like that are impossible. But the truth is you can get a 9.5% yield today--and even more. But even at 9.5%, we're talking about a middle-class income of $4,000 per month on an investment of just a touch over $500K.
How are dividends calculated for dummies?
A dividend yield is one of the ways investors determine if a stock is profitable. To find it, divide the stock's annual dividend by its current share price. So, if a stock is trading at $100 and its annual dividend per share is $5, the dividend yield is 5%.
What Is a Good Dividend Yield? Yields from 2% to 6% are generally considered to be a good dividend yield, but there are plenty of factors to consider when deciding if a stock's yield makes it a good investment. Your own investment goals should also play a big role in deciding what a good dividend yield is for you.
So, what counts as a “good” dividend payout ratio? Generally speaking, a dividend payout ratio of 30-50% is considered healthy, while anything over 50% could be unsustainable.
| Stock | Trailing annual dividend yield* |
|---|---|
| Crown Castle Inc. (CCI) | 5.9% |
| Pfizer Inc. (PFE) | 5.9% |
| Boston Properties Inc. (BXP) | 6.2% |
| Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) | 6.2% |
Dividend stocks pay shareholders a portion of the company's earnings on a regular basis, usually quarterly. The average dividend yield for stocks in the S&P 500 index is around 2%. To generate $3,000 per month in dividends at a 2% yield, you would need a portfolio of dividend stocks worth $1.8 million.
| Stock | Dividend yield | Dividend growth streak |
|---|---|---|
| Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) | 2.4% | 68 years |
| 3M Co. (MMM) | 6.5% | 65 years |
| Coca-Cola Co. (KO) | 3.3% | 61 years |
| Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) | 3.2% | 61 years |
Investing in dividend stocks won't make you rich overnight. However, they have proven to slowly enrich their investors as they grow their earnings and dividends. That has certainly been the case with Realty Income, Brookfield Infrastructure, and Enbridge over the years.
Once you have $1 million in assets, you can look seriously at living entirely off the returns of a portfolio. After all, the S&P 500 alone averages 10% returns per year. Setting aside taxes and down-year investment portfolio management, a $1 million index fund could provide $100,000 annually.
Stocks in the S&P 500 index currently yield about 1.5% on aggregate. That means, if you have $1 million invested in a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund that tracks the index, you could expect annual dividend income of about $15,000.
- Invest in the Best Dividend-Paying Stocks: Choose a mix of stocks with stable dividend yields, ensuring a steady income stream.
- Explore Dividend-Oriented ETFs: Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on dividend-paying companies can provide efficiency and diversification.
How much to get $100 a month in dividends?
If you want to bring home an average of $100 per month ($1,200/year) in super safe dividend income, simply invest $13,800 (split equally, three ways) into the following ultra-high-yield stocks, which sport an average yield of 8.71%!
This broader mix of stocks offers higher payouts and greater diversification than what you'll get with the Invesco QQQ Trust. And if you've got a large portfolio totaling more than $1.1 million, your dividend income could come in around $50,000 per year.
You may be able to avoid all income taxes on dividends if your income is low enough to qualify for zero capital gains if you invest in a Roth retirement account or buy dividend stocks in a tax-advantaged education account.
It May Take Longer To Achieve Long-Term Financial Goals: Dividend reinvestment leads to compounded growth. This makes it easier (and faster) to achieve your long-term financial goals versus keeping cash in a savings account.
Dividends from stocks or funds are taxable income, whether you receive them or reinvest them. Qualified dividends are taxed at lower capital gains rates; unqualified dividends as ordinary income. Putting dividend-paying stocks in tax-advantaged accounts can help you avoid or delay the taxes due.
