HOUSTON - The oldest surviving artificial Earth satellite, Vanguard 1, turned 50 years old on Monday â and continued to turn in its orbit, just as it has done since its launch at the dawn of the Space Age. The craft is in a high orbit that promises to be stable for centuries.
Companies use dividends to pass on their profits directly to their shareholders. Most often, the dividend comes in the form of cash: a company will pay a small percentage of its profits to the owner of each share of stock. However, it is not unheard of for companies to pay dividends in the form of stock.
DEFINITION of 'Dividend'. A dividend is a distribution of a portion of a company's earnings, decided by the board of directors, to a class of its shareholders. Dividends can be issued as cash payments, as shares of stock, or other property.REAKING DOWN 'Dividend'. The dividend rate may be quoted in terms of the dollar amount each share receives (dividends per share, or DPS), or It can also be quoted in terms of a percent of the current market price, which is referred to as the dividend yield.