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.
The dividend rate is simply the total amount of money you should receive from a stock or other dividend-yielding asset over the course of a year. Letâs use Exxon Mobil (XOM) as an example: XOMâs dividend is 63 cents per share. Since XOM pays a dividend quarterly, its dividend rate is $2.52.