About Dividend Yield The dividend yield is the sum of a company's annual dividends per share, divided by the current price per share. By investing in companies with stable and high dividend yields, investors can secure a relatively stable cash flow. However, dividend yields can be high when a company is facing financial trouble, and the company may cut the dividend in the near future. For example, if a stock trades at $36 and pays $1.80 in dividends over the course of one year ($.45 per quarter), the company's dividend yield is 5%. For more information on evaluating valuation multiples similar to this, please see our original white paper research:.