Biggest dividend payers in the US
Total cash dividends paid to shareholders in the latest fiscal year, from the cash flow statement. Microsoft Corporation leads with $26.4bn in fiscal 2026. The top 100 of 1,632 companies with a figure on file.
Would buying this list have paid?
Buying the top 100 companies by dividends paid, as the list stood each quarter since March 31, 2010, would have returned +12.9% a year against +14.0% for the S&P 500. No: it trailed the S&P 500 bought and held.
| Return a year | Typical yearly swing | Sharpe ratio | Biggest drop | Moves with market (beta) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 by dividends paid | +12.9% | 13.9% | 0.85 | -25.1% | 0.81 |
| S&P 500, buy and hold | +14.0% | 15.1% | 0.87 | -23.9% | 1.00 |
- Ahead of the S&P 500 in 42.4% of 66 quarters.
- Extra return after allowing for market risk (alpha): +1.3% a year No reliable evidence t = 0.68
- Against the S&P 500: −0.1% a year in 2010–2017, −2.1% in 2018–2026.
More rankings
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- US companies with the most free cash flow
- Fastest-growing large US companies
- US companies with the highest profit margins
- US companies with the highest return on equity
- Biggest share buybacks by US companies
- US companies raising their dividend every year
- Largest US employers
- US companies with the most cash
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