Dividend yield is the annual dividend per share divided by the current share price, expressed as a percentage — the cash return to shareholders before any price appreciation.
The trailing-twelve-months (TTM) yield sums every dividend paid in the last 365 days and divides by the current price — the most accurate backward-looking measure. The forward yield instead annualizes the most recent single payment, reacting immediately to a dividend change but assuming the new rate holds.
Yields above roughly 5% can signal a genuine income opportunity, but the same number can also result from a falling share price or a payout the company can't sustain — worth checking against the payout ratio and earnings trend before treating it as free income.
Live example: AAPL's current dividend yield is 0.00%. See the full AAPL forecast for its fundamentals card.
Dividend yield captures only the cash-income component of return — it says nothing about whether the share price itself is rising or falling. A stock with a 0% yield can still meaningfully outperform a 5%-yielding one on total return if its price appreciation is large enough, and vice versa. Neither figure should be read in isolation from the other.
No. A high yield can reflect genuine income, or it can result from a falling share price or an unsustainable payout — check the payout ratio and earnings trend first.
Trailing (TTM) yield sums actual dividends paid over the last 365 days; forward yield annualizes the most recent single payment.
No — it only measures cash income, not price appreciation or decline. A 0%-yield stock can still outperform a 5%-yield stock on total return if its price gain is large enough.
AAPL analysis shows this metric in context, or browse all S&P 500 tickers.
Educational research only — not investment advice.