S&P 500 Dividend Payouts Increased 6.9% in Third Quarter
- 383 companies declared cash dividends of $117.2 billion
- Benchmark index’s dividend yield dropped to 1.80% from 1.94%
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Dividend payments from S&P 500 companies continued to climb in the third quarter on the back of consecutive quarters of double-digit earnings growth and changes to tax laws championed by the Trump administration.
Among index members, 383 companies declared $117.2 billion in combined cash dividends, a 6.9 percent increase from a year ago. Seventy-five companies boosted dividends, down from 84 in the third quarter of 2017, while accelerated the payments.