How to Calculate the Dividend Payout Ratio
Determine the net income of the company., Determine the amount of dividends paid out., Divide the dividends by the net Income.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine the net income of the company.
To find a company's dividend payout ratio, first find its net income for the time period you're analyzing (one year is the typical period for dividend payout ratio calculation).
This information can be found in a company's income statement.
To be clear, you’re looking for the company’s income after all expenses, including taxes, costs of doing business, depreciation, amortization, and interest.
For example, let's say that Jim's Light Bulbs, a new company, earned $200,000 in its first year of business, but it had to spend $50,000 on the expenses mentioned above.
In this case, the net income for Jim's Light Bulbs would be 200,000
- 50,000 = $150,000. -
Step 2: Determine the amount of dividends paid out.
Find the amount of money that the company paid out in the form of dividends during the time period you're analyzing.
Dividends are payments that are given to the company's investors instead of being saved or re-invested in the company.
Dividends aren't usually listed on the income statement but are included on the balance sheet and statement of cash flows.Let's say that Jim's Light Bulbs, being a relatively young company, decided to re-invest most of its net income by expanding its production capacity and only paid out $3,750 per quarter in dividends.
In this case, we'll use 4 times 3,750 = $15,000 as our amount of dividends paid in the first year of business. , Once you know how much a company has made in net income and paid out in dividends in a given time period, finding its dividend payout ratio is simple.
Divide its dividend payments by its net income.
The value you get is its dividend payout ratio.
For Jim's Light Bulbs, we can find the dividend payout ratio by dividing 15,000 by 150,000, which is
0.10 (or 10%).
This means that Jim's Light Bulbs paid out 10% of its earnings to its investors and invested the rest (90%) back into the company. -
Step 3: Divide the dividends by the net Income.
Detailed Guide
To find a company's dividend payout ratio, first find its net income for the time period you're analyzing (one year is the typical period for dividend payout ratio calculation).
This information can be found in a company's income statement.
To be clear, you’re looking for the company’s income after all expenses, including taxes, costs of doing business, depreciation, amortization, and interest.
For example, let's say that Jim's Light Bulbs, a new company, earned $200,000 in its first year of business, but it had to spend $50,000 on the expenses mentioned above.
In this case, the net income for Jim's Light Bulbs would be 200,000
- 50,000 = $150,000.
Find the amount of money that the company paid out in the form of dividends during the time period you're analyzing.
Dividends are payments that are given to the company's investors instead of being saved or re-invested in the company.
Dividends aren't usually listed on the income statement but are included on the balance sheet and statement of cash flows.Let's say that Jim's Light Bulbs, being a relatively young company, decided to re-invest most of its net income by expanding its production capacity and only paid out $3,750 per quarter in dividends.
In this case, we'll use 4 times 3,750 = $15,000 as our amount of dividends paid in the first year of business. , Once you know how much a company has made in net income and paid out in dividends in a given time period, finding its dividend payout ratio is simple.
Divide its dividend payments by its net income.
The value you get is its dividend payout ratio.
For Jim's Light Bulbs, we can find the dividend payout ratio by dividing 15,000 by 150,000, which is
0.10 (or 10%).
This means that Jim's Light Bulbs paid out 10% of its earnings to its investors and invested the rest (90%) back into the company.
About the Author
Robert Ross
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