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Which companies return the most cash to shareholders?

Dividends are only half of what companies hand back to owners; buybacks are the other half, and for many companies the bigger one. Adding the two gives shareholder yield, a fuller measure of the cash an investor’s stake actually earns.

Updated Sep 27, 2026

34
% return 5%+

$1.77T returned

S&P 500 companies returned $1.77T to shareholders over the past year, $742.9B of it in dividends and the rest in buybacks. The typical company returned 3.8% of its market value; AAPL returned the most, $97.9B.

Median shareholder yield 3.8%Dividends $742.9BMost: AAPL $97.9B

By sector

The median shareholder yield in each sector. Select any company below to see its past year.

Median shareholder yield by sector
Dividends plus net buybacks over the past year, as a share of market value.
CommsComms5.80%FinancialsFinancials5.30%Real estateReal estate5%EnergyEnergy4.90%DiscretionaryDiscretionary4.70%StaplesStaples4.20%UtilitiesUtilities3.60%MaterialsMaterials3.30%IndustrialsIndustrials2.90%Health careHealth care2.50%TechTech2.30%

The 60 highest shareholder yields

Dividends plus net buybacks as a share of market value. Share of cash flow above 100% means the company paid out more than it generated. Select a column to sort.

CompanyShareholder yieldTotalDividendsBuybacksReturned% of cash flowPast year

How to read this page

How it’s measured. Dividends over the past twelve months plus share buybacks net of new shares issued, as a share of market value, for S&P 500 companies.

Sources. Daily prices, company financial statements and dividend records from Financial Modeling Prep.

Buybacks are counted net of shares issued, mostly to employees, so a company that buys back shares only to offset stock pay adds little here. Dividends use the trailing twelve months and today’s market value.

Paying out more than free cash flow, as 35 of these do, is possible for a while with cash or debt, but not forever.

This page is information, not investment advice. About our data and methods ›

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