Dividends per share

Dividends per share

Dividend paid for the past 12 months divided by the number of common shares outstanding, as reported by a company. The number of shares often is determined by a weighted average of shares outstanding over the reporting term.

Dividends per Share

The total amount a publicly-traded company pays in ordinary dividends over a given period of time divided by the average number of shares outstanding. Dividends per share gives a potential investor an idea of how much he/she will receive in dividends if he/she buys a given stock. Typically, blue chip or other well-established companies pay high dividends per share, while start-ups pay small dividends per share.