Dividend Statistics 2026
By Axis Intelligence Research
Co-author: Mia Scarlett | Last updated: October 11, 2026 | License: CC BY 4.0
The S&P 500 paid a record $78.92 per index share in dividends in 2025, its 16th straight annual increase. Then the AI buildout hit corporate cash. In the first half of 2026, Alphabet and Meta cut buybacks to zero and still raised the cash they paid out as dividends. Axis Intelligence Research calls the gap between those two decisions the Dividend Anchor Ratio.
Quick Answer: What Do the Latest Dividend Statistics Show?
S&P 500 companies paid a record $664.9 billion in dividends in the 12 months to September 2025 and $78.92 per index share in calendar 2025, up 5.5%, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. 409 of the index’s members (81.3%) pay a dividend. Axis Intelligence Research’s Dividend Anchor Ratio (DAR™) shows dividends are 39.46% of S&P 500 cash returned to shareholders, and the share that survives when buybacks are cut.
Key Findings
- According to Axis Intelligence Research, Alphabet and Meta each posted a Dividend Anchor Ratio (DAR™) of 100% in the first half of 2026: buybacks went to $0 while dividends paid rose 5.1% and 1.62%.
- S&P 500 dividends paid per index share reached a record $78.92 in 2025, up 5.5% from $74.83, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices’ January 7, 2026 release.
- Axis Intelligence Research’s Dividend Breadth Ratio (DBR™) fell to 13.03 in 2025 from 18.56 in 2024: 2,293 U.S. common issues raised dividends while 176 cut them, per S&P Dow Jones Indices counts.
- In 2020, S&P 500 dividends fell 0.47% while buybacks fell 28.68%, Axis Intelligence Research calculates from S&P Dow Jones Indices data, pushing the DAR™ to a 2018–2025 high of 48.18%.
- On December 31, 2025, the 10-year Treasury yield (4.18%) was 3.6 times the large-cap dividend yield (1.16%), a 3.02-point gap, Axis Intelligence Research calculates from U.S. Treasury and S&P Dow Jones Indices data.
How Much Do S&P 500 Companies Pay in Dividends?
S&P 500 companies paid $664.90 billion in dividends over the 12 months ending September 2025, a record and 7.9% more than the $616.16 billion paid a year earlier, according to the S&P Dow Jones Indices Q3 2025 buyback and dividend release. The quarterly run rate reached $168.1 billion in Q3 2025, against $157.0 billion in Q3 2024.
S&P 500 dividends and buybacks by year (2018–2025)
| Period | Dividends ($B) | Buybacks ($B) | Dividend yield | Dividend + buyback yield | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 456.31 | 806.41 | 2.17% | 6.01% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 2019 | 485.48 | 728.74 | 1.81% | 4.54% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 2020 | 483.18 | 519.76 | 1.53% | 3.17% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 2021 | 511.23 | 881.72 | 1.27% | 3.45% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 2022 | 564.57 | 922.68 | 1.76% | 4.63% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 2023 | 588.23 | 795.16 | 1.47% | 3.46% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 2024 | 629.62 | 942.55 | 1.26% | 3.16% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 12 months to Sep 2025 | 664.90 | 1,020.27 | 1.17% | 2.95% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
Between 2018 and 2024, S&P 500 dividends grew at a 5.51% compound annual rate while buybacks grew at 2.63%, Axis Intelligence Research calculates from the table above. Dividends were the slower-moving line every year and the faster-growing one over the full span. Combined, buybacks and dividends returned $1,685.17 billion to shareholders in the 12 months to September 2025.
How much of S&P 500 earnings go to dividends?
The S&P 500 paid out 33.33% of as-reported earnings as dividends in the 12 months to September 2025 ($664.90 billion ÷ $1,994.76 billion), Axis Intelligence Research calculates from S&P Dow Jones Indices data. A year earlier the payout ratio was 37.62%. In 2020, when GAAP earnings collapsed and dividends did not, it hit 61.61%.
Mia Scarlett, Business: The payout ratio fell because the denominator ran, not because boards got stingy. Dividends grew 7.9% in a year; as-reported earnings grew faster. That is the comfortable version of a falling payout ratio. The uncomfortable version is 2020, when the ratio jumped to 61.61% on the same dividend dollars. A payout ratio is a two-variable number, and the headline only ever moves one of them.
What Is the S&P 500 Dividend Per Share in 2025 and 2026?
The S&P 500 paid $78.92 per index share in 2025, according to the S&P Dow Jones Indices dividend report of January 7, 2026. That was the index’s 16th consecutive annual increase and 14th consecutive record payment. Q4 2025 alone set a quarterly record of $20.25 per share, up 2.2% from $19.81 in Q4 2024.
| Year | S&P 500 dividends per index share | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $66.92 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 2023 | $70.30 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 2024 | $74.83 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| 2025 | $78.92 (record) | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
From 2022 to 2025, dividends per index share rose 17.93%, a 5.65% compound annual rate, Axis Intelligence Research calculates. The Q4 2025 payment annualizes to $81.00.
What will S&P 500 dividends be in 2026?
S&P Dow Jones Indices expects S&P 500 issues to post a mid-single-digit payment gain for 2026. Axis Intelligence Research estimates that reads as $82.08 to $83.66 per index share if “mid-single-digit” means 4% to 6% on the $78.92 base. That range is our arithmetic on S&P’s wording, not an S&P forecast figure.
Why is there no official 2026 quarterly dividend total yet?
S&P Dow Jones Indices’ latest quarterly dividend release retrieved by Axis Intelligence Research is dated January 7, 2026. No Q2 2026 or Q3 2026 dividend release appeared in the S&P Global press archive between April 23 and October 9, 2026, the window we checked. Rather than estimate 2026 index totals from secondary compilers, this page uses company cash flow statements as its 2026 data layer. [older data] The index-level series ends at Q4 2025 for that reason.
Dividend Anchor Ratio (DAR™): Do Companies Protect Dividends or Buybacks?
Every company that returns cash chooses between two tools. A dividend is a public, recurring commitment. A buyback can be switched off between quarters without an announcement. The question an income investor needs answered is which one a company protects when cash gets tight.
The Dividend Anchor Ratio (DAR™) is an Axis Intelligence Research metric that measures the dividend share of cash returned to shareholders.
Formula:
DAR = Dividends paid ÷ (Dividends paid + Share repurchases) × 100
Both inputs come from the same source and the same window: S&P Dow Jones Indices aggregates for the index, cash flow statements for companies. We never mix index-level and company-level figures inside one reading. A DAR™ of 100% means buybacks are zero and every returned dollar is a dividend. A rising DAR™ during a cash squeeze means the company is defending the dividend and sacrificing the buyback.
DAR™ for the S&P 500, 2018–2025
| Period | Dividends ($B) | Buybacks ($B) | DAR™ | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 456.31 | 806.41 | 36.14% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| 2019 | 485.48 | 728.74 | 39.98% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| 2020 | 483.18 | 519.76 | 48.18% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| 2021 | 511.23 | 881.72 | 36.70% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| 2022 | 564.57 | 922.68 | 37.96% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| 2023 | 588.23 | 795.16 | 42.52% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| 2024 | 629.62 | 942.55 | 40.05% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| 12 months to Sep 2025 | 664.90 | 1,020.27 | 39.46% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
The 2020 reading is the stress test. S&P 500 dividends fell 0.47% that year; buybacks fell 28.68%. The DAR™ jumped from 39.98% to 48.18% without dividends rising at all, because the anchor held and the option was cut. In 2021, when buybacks came back, the ratio dropped straight to 36.70%.
DAR™ by company: the 2026 AI capex test
The 2026 filings show the same mechanism at company level, in real time.
| Company | Window | Dividends paid ($M) | Buybacks ($M) | DAR™ | Prior-year DAR™ | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alphabet | Jan–Jun 2026 | 5,231 | 0 | 100.00% | 14.95% | Alphabet Q2 2026 8-K |
| Meta Platforms | Jan–Jun 2026 | 2,699 | 0 | 100.00% | 10.38% | Meta Q2 2026 results |
| NVIDIA | Feb–Jul 2026 | 6,290 | 39,044 | 13.87% | 2.01% | NVIDIA Q2 FY2027 release |
| Apple | Sep 2025–Jun 2026 | 11,778 | 62,094 | 15.94% | 14.07% | Apple Q3 FY2026 8-K |
| Alphabet + Meta + NVIDIA | 2026 windows | 14,220 | 39,044 | 26.70% | 9.77% | Axis calc |
Alphabet repurchased $28,306 million of stock in the first half of 2025 and $0 in the first half of 2026, while purchases of property and equipment reached $80,598 million and the company raised $49.6 billion in new equity. It still paid $5,231 million in dividends, up 5.1%, and declared a $0.22 quarterly dividend in July 2026. Meta’s buybacks went from $22,921 million to zero; its dividend payments rose to $2,699 million.
Across Alphabet, Meta and NVIDIA combined, dividends paid rose 75.1% while buybacks fell 47.97%, Axis Intelligence Research calculates. The three companies’ aggregate DAR™ nearly tripled, from 9.77% to 26.70%.
Mia Scarlett, Business: Read the cash flow statement, not the call transcript. Alphabet’s capex ran ahead of operating cash in Q2 2026 and the company sold stock to fund it. It still paid the dividend. That is the filing telling you which line management treats as a liability and which it treats as optional. For income investors the lesson is specific: in a capex cycle, a buyback-heavy “shareholder yield” can evaporate in two quarters. The dividend portion is the part with a track record of staying.
For the full buyback side of this story, including the Capex Crowd-Out Ratio, see our stock buyback statistics. For the spending behind it, see the AI capex tracker.
How affordable are these dividends?
Dividends absorbed 6.16% of Alphabet’s first-half 2026 operating cash flow, 4.21% of Meta’s, 8.45% of NVIDIA’s and 10.07% of Apple’s nine-month figure, Axis Intelligence Research calculates from the same filings. None of the four is stretching to pay. The buyback cuts were a capital allocation choice, not a sign of dividend stress.
Is NVIDIA Becoming a Major Dividend Payer?
NVIDIA paid $6,047 million in dividends in Q2 fiscal 2027, against $244 million a year earlier, according to its August 26, 2026 earnings release. That is 24.78 times the prior-year quarter. The company will pay its next quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share on October 1, 2026, and returned about $26.0 billion to shareholders through buybacks and dividends in Q2 alone.
Axis Intelligence Research estimates NVIDIA’s annualized dividend at roughly $24,190 million ($0.25 × 4 × 24,190 million weighted basic shares). For scale, S&P Dow Jones Indices listed Microsoft’s indicated annual dividend at $27,057 million in September 2025 and NVIDIA’s at $976 million. Among the 20 companies in that S&P table, only Microsoft’s indicated dividend exceeds our NVIDIA estimate. The estimate uses weighted shares, not period-end shares, so treat it as an order of magnitude.
Deeper company detail sits in our NVIDIA statistics.
Which S&P 500 companies pay the largest dividends?
| Company | Indicated annual dividend ($M, Sep 2025) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | 27,057 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Exxon Mobil | 17,565 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| JPMorgan | 16,499 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Apple | 15,434 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Chevron | 13,164 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Bank of America | 7,632 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Wells Fargo | 5,766 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Alphabet | 4,886 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Meta Platforms | 4,555 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| NVIDIA | 976 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
Scope: S&P Dow Jones Indices publishes indicated dividends here only for the 20 largest Q3 2025 buyback companies, so this is not a full ranking of all S&P 500 payers. The full index indicated dividend total was $674,035 million.
How Many Companies Raised or Cut Dividends in 2025?
U.S. common stocks recorded 2,293 dividend increases (including initiations) and 176 decreases (including suspensions) in 2025, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. Increases fell 6.41% from 2,450 in 2024, while decreases rose 33.3% from 132.
In dollars, increases totaled $59.3 billion and decreases $12.9 billion, for a net indicated dividend rise of $46.4 billion. The net change was $53.3 billion in 2024, $36.5 billion in 2023, $68.2 billion in 2022 and $69.8 billion in 2021. In 2020 it was negative $40.8 billion, as 43 S&P 500 issues suspended dividends.
Dividend Breadth Ratio (DBR™)
The Dividend Breadth Ratio (DBR™) is an Axis Intelligence Research metric that counts how many issues raise their dividend for every issue that cuts it.
DBR = Number of U.S. common issues increasing dividends ÷ Number decreasing
| Period | Increases | Decreases | DBR™ | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,450 | 132 | 18.56 | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| 2025 | 2,293 | 176 | 13.03 | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Q4 2024 | 635 | 33 | 19.24 | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Q4 2025 | 634 | 38 | 16.68 | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
The DBR™ fell 29.81% in one year. That is the part of the 2025 record the headline missed: dollars per share hit a high while the number of companies cutting rose by a third. Dollar figures are dominated by large payers; a count-based ratio gives a small company’s cut the same weight as Microsoft’s raise, which is why the two can diverge.
Mia Scarlett, Business: A record per-share payment and a weaker breadth ratio are both true, and they describe different populations. The index dollars come from a few hundred large balance sheets. The decreases sit further down the cap table, among companies with less room. One more number points the same way: in 2025, net increases kept 78.25 cents of every dollar of gross increases, up from 74.65 cents in 2024, because cut dollars were smaller even though cut counts rose. Small payers cut. Big payers didn’t.
What Is the S&P 500 Dividend Yield Now?
The large-cap indicated dividend yield was 1.16% at the end of Q4 2025, down from 1.28% a year earlier, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. Counting dividend-paying large caps only, it was 1.39%. Mid-caps yielded 1.38% (2.24% for payers) and small caps 1.64% (2.88% for payers).
| Universe (Q4 2025) | Yield, all issues | Yield, paying issues | Share paying | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large-cap (S&P 500) | 1.16% | 1.39% | 81.3% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Mid-cap (S&P MidCap 400) | 1.38% | 2.24% | 65.0% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Small-cap (S&P SmallCap 600) | 1.64% | 2.88% | 57.0% | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 1.93% | — | 28 of 30 | S&P Dow Jones Indices |
Outside the S&P 500, the weighted indicated yield for domestic payers was 2.53% and the average 3.07%.
S&P 500 dividend yield vs. Treasury yields
On December 31, 2025, the 10-year Treasury par yield was 4.18% and the 3-month yield 3.67%, according to U.S. Treasury daily par yield curve data. Against the 1.16% large-cap dividend yield on the same date, Axis Intelligence Research calculates a 3.02-point gap: the 10-year paid 3.6 times the dividend yield, and the 3-month bill 3.16 times.
The gap has widened since. The 10-year stood at 5.24% on October 9, 2026, up 1.06 points from year-end, with the 3-month bill at 4.25% and the 30-year at 5.60%. S&P Dow Jones Indices has not published an updated index yield in the window we checked, so we do not compute a same-day October gap.
Mia Scarlett, Business: A 1.16% yield next to a 5% Treasury does not mean dividend stocks are broken. It means the S&P 500 is priced on growth, and the dividend is the cash floor under a growth asset rather than the reason to own it. The comparison that matters for an income portfolio is growth: S&P 500 dividends per share rose 5.5% in 2025. A Treasury coupon rises 0%.
Which Sectors Pay the Highest Dividends?
Real estate (3.44%) and energy (3.43%) carried the highest indicated dividend yields in the S&P 500 at the end of Q3 2025, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. Information technology (0.53%) and consumer discretionary (0.63%) carried the lowest.
| Sector | Dividend yield | Buyback yield | Combined | Dividend share of yield (Axis) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate | 3.44% | 0.28% | 3.72% | 92.5% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Energy | 3.43% | 3.63% | 7.06% | 48.6% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Utilities | 2.88% | 0.26% | 3.15% | 91.4% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Consumer Staples | 2.56% | 1.44% | 4.00% | 64.0% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Materials | 1.84% | 1.84% | 3.69% | 49.9% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Health Care | 1.71% | 1.60% | 3.31% | 51.7% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Financials | 1.42% | 2.80% | 4.21% | 33.7% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Industrials | 1.25% | 1.92% | 3.18% | 39.3% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Communication Services | 0.87% | 3.16% | 4.03% | 21.6% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Consumer Discretionary | 0.63% | 1.13% | 1.76% | 35.8% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| Information Technology | 0.53% | 1.41% | 1.94% | 27.3% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
| S&P 500 | 1.19% | 1.81% | 2.99% | 39.8% | S&P DJI; Axis calc |
The last column is a yield-based version of the DAR™: dividend yield divided by combined yield. Real estate and utilities return more than 90% of shareholder yield as dividends. Communication services returns 21.6%, the lowest of any sector, which is exactly the sector where Alphabet and Meta switched buybacks off in 2026. Energy offers the highest combined yield, 7.06%, but less than half of it is dividend.
Note: this sector version uses indicated dividend yield against trailing buyback yield (S&P DJI’s own basis) and is not directly comparable with the cash-basis DAR™ readings above.
How Are Dividends Taxed in 2026?
Qualified dividends are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20% under the same breakpoints as long-term capital gains. For taxable years beginning in 2026, IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, section 4.03 sets them as follows.
| Filing status | 0% rate up to (taxable income) | 15% rate up to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Married filing jointly | $98,900 | $613,700 | IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 |
| Head of household | $66,200 | $579,600 | IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 |
| Single | $49,450 | $545,500 | IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 |
| Married filing separately | $49,450 | $306,850 | IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 |
Income above the 15% ceiling is taxed at 20%. Nonqualified dividends are taxed as ordinary income. To model reinvested dividends over time, use our compound interest calculator; to see where dividend income fits in household balance sheets, see the net worth by age calculator.
What These Dividend Statistics Mean for Investors in 2027
Three readings sit side by side. Index dividends per share set a record in 2025 and S&P Dow Jones Indices expects more growth in 2026. The breadth behind that record narrowed, with cuts up a third. And the 2026 filings showed what happens when the largest balance sheets need cash: buybacks went to zero at two of the four biggest repurchasers, and dividends went up.
The DAR™ turns that into a screen. A company with a low DAR™ and a heavy capex plan is telling you its “shareholder yield” is mostly the flexible kind. A rising DAR™ during a squeeze, as in 2020 and in the 2026 hyperscaler filings, is the dividend doing the job it is designed for. For the companies that set the S&P 500’s direction, see our Fortune 500 statistics and BlackRock statistics.
Dividend Questions Income Investors Are Asking in 2026
Did any big tech company cut its dividend while cutting buybacks in 2026?
No. Alphabet and Meta cut share repurchases to $0 in the first half of 2026, yet Alphabet’s dividend payments rose 5.1% to $5,231 million and Meta’s rose 1.62% to $2,699 million, according to their Q2 2026 results. Axis Intelligence Research’s DAR™ for both reached 100%.
What is the Dividend Anchor Ratio (DAR™)?
The Dividend Anchor Ratio is an Axis Intelligence Research metric equal to dividends paid divided by dividends plus share repurchases, from the same source and period. For the S&P 500 it was 39.46% in the 12 months to September 2025 and peaked at 48.18% in 2020.
How much did the S&P 500 pay in dividends per share in 2025?
$78.92 per index share, a record and up 5.5% from $74.83 in 2024, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. It was the 16th consecutive annual increase. Q4 2025 paid a quarterly record of $20.25.
Are more companies cutting dividends than a year ago?
Yes. 176 U.S. common issues decreased or suspended dividends in 2025, up 33.3% from 132 in 2024, per S&P Dow Jones Indices. Axis Intelligence Research’s Dividend Breadth Ratio fell from 18.56 increases per cut to 13.03.
Why is the S&P 500 dividend yield so low compared with Treasuries?
Because prices rose faster than payouts. The large-cap yield was 1.16% at end-2025 against a 4.18% 10-year Treasury, a 3.02-point gap by Axis Intelligence Research’s calculation. Dividends per share still grew 5.5% that year.
How much did NVIDIA’s dividend increase?
NVIDIA paid $6,047 million in dividends in Q2 fiscal 2027, versus $244 million a year earlier, and set a $0.25 quarterly dividend payable October 1, 2026, per its August 26, 2026 release. Axis Intelligence Research estimates the annualized payout at about $24.2 billion.
What percentage of S&P 500 companies pay a dividend?
81.3%, or 409 companies, at the end of Q4 2025, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. For comparison, 65.0% of S&P MidCap 400 and 57.0% of S&P SmallCap 600 companies pay one.
What income lets you pay 0% tax on qualified dividends in 2026?
Taxable income up to $49,450 for single filers, $66,200 for heads of household and $98,900 for married couples filing jointly, per IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32. Income above those levels is taxed at 15%, then 20%.
Which S&P 500 sector relies most on dividends to return cash?
Real estate. Dividends made up 92.5% of the sector’s combined dividend and buyback yield at end-Q3 2025, Axis Intelligence Research calculates from S&P Dow Jones Indices data. Communication services was lowest at 21.6%.
Methodology
Collection. Every figure on this page was retrieved on October 11, 2026 from its publisher: S&P Dow Jones Indices (U.S. dividend release of January 7, 2026; S&P 500 buyback and dividend release of December 18, 2025, including its 2018–2025 history table, sector yield table and company indicated dividends); SEC filings of Alphabet (Q2 2026), NVIDIA (Q2 FY2027) and Apple (Q3 FY2026); Meta’s Q2 2026 results; U.S. Treasury daily par yield curve rates (December 2025 and October 2026); and IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32. No secondary compiler or aggregator was used for any figure.
Dividend Anchor Ratio (DAR™). Dividends ÷ (dividends + share repurchases) × 100. Index readings use S&P DJI gross dividends and buybacks for the same period. Company readings use cash paid for dividends (and dividend equivalents where reported) and cash paid for repurchases from the financing section of the cash flow statement. NVIDIA’s fiscal half runs February to July; Apple’s fiscal nine months run September to June. Apple is excluded from the three-company aggregate because its window length differs.
Dividend Breadth Ratio (DBR™). Count of U.S. domestic common issues increasing or initiating dividends ÷ count decreasing or suspending, as reported by S&P DJI.
Other Axis calculations. Payout ratio = dividends ÷ as-reported earnings. Yield gap = 10-year Treasury par yield − large-cap indicated yield, same date. Dividends to operating cash flow = dividends paid ÷ net cash from operations. NVIDIA annualized dividend = $0.25 × 4 × weighted basic shares (estimate). 2026 per-share range = $78.92 × 1.04 and × 1.06 (estimate based on S&P DJI’s “mid-single-digit” outlook). All arithmetic was run twice, once in floating point and once with exact rational arithmetic.
Scope. S&P DJI’s breadth counts cover all U.S. domestic common stocks, not only S&P 500 members. Indicated yields reflect current declared rates, not trailing payments. The sector dividend share uses S&P DJI’s indicated-dividend and trailing-buyback basis. Company DAR™ readings cover four companies chosen because they were among the largest S&P 500 repurchasers in 2025; they describe those companies, not the index.
About This Dataset
Title: Dividend Statistics 2026
Creator and publisher: Axis Intelligence Research; co-author Mia Scarlett
Contents: 271 rows: S&P 500 dividends and buybacks 2018–2025; dividends per index share 2022–2025; dividend, buyback and combined yields by year and by sector; company indicated dividends; U.S. dividend increases and decreases by count and value; payer shares and yields by market cap; Treasury yields; Alphabet, Meta, NVIDIA and Apple cash dividends and repurchases; 2026 qualified dividend tax breakpoints; and every DAR™ and DBR™ reading with its formula
Format: UTF-8 CSV, one observation per row, source URL and retrieval date on every row
License: CC BY 4.0, also published on Hugging Face, Kaggle and GitHub
Cite as: Axis Intelligence Research, Dividend Statistics 2026, 2026, axis-intelligence.com/dividend-statistics/
Citation formats
APA: Axis Intelligence Research, & Scarlett, M. (2026, October 11). Dividend statistics 2026: S&P 500 dividends hit a record $78.92 a share as buybacks get cut and dividends don’t. Axis Intelligence. https://axis-intelligence.com/dividend-statistics/
MLA: Axis Intelligence Research, and Mia Scarlett. “Dividend Statistics 2026: S&P 500 Dividends Hit a Record $78.92 a Share as Buybacks Get Cut and Dividends Don’t.” Axis Intelligence, 11 Oct. 2026, axis-intelligence.com/dividend-statistics/.
Chicago: Axis Intelligence Research and Mia Scarlett. “Dividend Statistics 2026: S&P 500 Dividends Hit a Record $78.92 a Share as Buybacks Get Cut and Dividends Don’t.” Axis Intelligence, October 11, 2026. https://axis-intelligence.com/dividend-statistics/.
Related Axis Intelligence Research: stock buyback statistics · AI capex tracker · NVIDIA statistics · Fortune 500 statistics