Dividend yield is a type of financial ratio used to calculate how much a company pays to their shareholders in dividend every year relative to its stock price. Simply put, this shows how much a company pays a dividend to each shareholder in comparison to their stock price.
Dividend yield is read in percentage and helps investors see how much they can expect from a company on each share investment.
Dividend Yield = (Annual Dividend per Share ÷ Stock Price) × 100
Aforementioned, a dividend yield is a way for investors to understand how much they can be rewarded in return in exchange for every share investment choice they make. If a company has a higher dividend yield, it means the company is paying a huge amount to their investors on their investment per share which is read as an interesting sign for investors.
Let’s say – an XY company’s current stock price is ₹1,000. Now it decides to pay an annual dividend of ₹50 to its shareholders. Now its dividend yield would be:
(₹50 ÷ ₹1,000) × 100 = 5%
Dividend yield is super important for the investors who want to make income-focused investments and depend on them for their regular income source. However, it is crucial to note that a very high dividend is not always a good sign and can hint that its stock price has fallen. This is the reason why investors should consider other fundamental factors such as revenues, P/E ratio, etc. to calculate the company’s current condition before making an investment choice.