Dividend yield

If you own dividend-paying stocks, you figure the current dividend yield on your investment by dividing the dividend being paid on each share by the share's current market price.

For example, if a stock whose market price is $35 pays a dividend of 75 cents per share, the dividend yield is 2.14% ($0.75 ÷ $35 = .0214, or 2.14%).

Yields for all dividend-paying stocks are reported regularly in newspaper stock tables and on financial websites.

Dividend yield increases as the price per share drops and drops as the share price increases. But it does not tell you what you're earning based on your original investment or the income you can expect to earn in the future. However, some investors seeking current income or following a particular investment strategy look for high-yielding stocks.