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3.06 Shares

Lesson

 

Shares, dividends and yields

A popular method of investment is through buying shares.

  • When we buy shares it's like anything else, we are trying to buy them at a bargain price. We do so with the expectation that over time the value of the company (and thus the value of each share) will increase, meaning our small piece of the company is now worth more. 
  • Many companies share their annual profits amongst their shareholders by paying them dividends. So each year, if the company we have shares in makes a profit, we get paid a portion of that profit.

 

Dividends

Once someone has purchased shares in a company, they become a shareholder.

If that company makes a profit, they will likely share their profit amongst their shareholders by paying them what is called a dividend.

 

Worked example

Example 1

In 2015, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) paid its shareholders a dividend of $\$2.22$$2.22 per share.

Thomas has $5000$5000 CBA shares.

How much did Thomas earn as a dividend payment?

Think: Thomas earns $\$2.22$$2.22 per share, so we multiply the number of shares he owns by the dividend amount.

Do:

Dividend payment $=$= $5000\times\$2.22$5000×$2.22
  $=$= $\$11100$$11100

 

Dividend yield

One way to compare the value of investing in one company versus another company is to calculate and compare the dividend yield.

The dividend yield is expressed as a percentage represents what proportion of the share price is paid as a dividend to shareholders. The greater this percentage, the more lucrative the investment.

Dividend yield

Dividend yield$=$=$\frac{\text{dividend per share }}{\text{market price of share }}\times100%$dividend per share market price of share ×100%

 

Worked example

Example 2

In mid January, 2016, the share price for Rio Tinto was $\$38.90$$38.90 and the dividend yield was $9.46%$9.46%.

What is the expected dividend per share?

Think: Multiply the share price by the dividend yield to find the dividend per share. 

Do:

Dividend $=$= $\$38.90\times9.46%$$38.90×9.46%
  $=$= $\$3.68$$3.68

 

Price to earnings ratio

Another way to compare the value of different shares is through the price to earnings ratio.

Price to earnings ratio

P/E ratio$=$=$\frac{\text{Market price per share}}{\text{Annual earnings per share }}$Market price per shareAnnual earnings per share

A P/E ratio reflects the amount investors are willing to pay for a share in a company, relative to its earnings.

A company with a high P/E ratio usually indicates that investors anticipate higher performance and growth in the future and investors are willing to pay more for this company’s shares.

Companies with losses or predicted decline in performance will have low P/E ratios.

 

Worked example

Example 3

Janet bought shares with a dividend yield of $5%$5%

The company returns $40%$40% of its profits to the shareholders.

She paid $\$3440$$3440 for $200$200 shares.

a)  Calculate the market price per share.

Think: Divide the total price paid by the number of shares.

Do:

Market Price $=$= $\frac{\$3440}{200}$$3440200
  $=$= $\$17.20$$17.20

b)  Calculate the dividend per share.

Think: Multiply the share price by the dividend yield to find the dividend per share.

Do:

Dividend $=$= $0.05\times\$17.20$0.05×$17.20
  $=$= $\$0.86$$0.86

c)  Calculate the annual earnings per share.

Think: We know that $40%$40% of the annual earning per share was paid to shareholders as the dividend. 

Do:

$40%$40% of Annual earnings $=$= $\$0.86$$0.86
Annual earnings $=$= $\frac{\$0.86}{0.4}$$0.860.4
  $=$= $\$2.15$$2.15

d)  Calculate the P/E ratio.

Think: Use the formula together with our answers to part (a) and (c).

Do:

P/E ratio $=$= $\frac{\text{Market price per share}}{\text{Annual earnings per share }}$Market price per shareAnnual earnings per share
  $=$= $\frac{\$17.20}{\$2.15}$$17.20$2.15
  $=$= $8$8

 

Practice questions

Question 1

Freya paid $\$7800$$7800 for $300$300 shares that have a dividend yield of $2.5%$2.5% over a period of 12 months. The company returned $52%$52% of its yearly profits to shareholders as a dividend.

  1. Calculate the price per share.

  2. Calculate the dividend per share.

  3. Calculate the total earnings per share.

  4. Calculate the price-to-earnings ratio.

Question 2

The table below summarises information about four publicly listed companies during the last 12 months.

Company Share price Earnings per share P/E Dividend per share Dividend yield
True Blue Holdings $\$10.25$$10.25 $\$1.25$$1.25 $a$a $\$0.287$$0.287 $2.8%$2.8%
Sew What $\$12.75$$12.75 $b$b $3.4$3.4 $\$0.612$$0.612 $4.8%$4.8%
Juan In A Million $\$17.25$$17.25 $\$3.75$$3.75 $4.6$4.6 $c$c $2.8%$2.8%
Wok On Water $\$22.75$$22.75 $\$8.75$$8.75 $2.6$2.6 $\$1.547$$1.547 $d$d
  1. Calculate the value of $a$a.

  2. Calculate the value of $b$b.

  3. Calculate the value of $c$c.

  4. Calculate the value of $d$d.

Question 3

Sally bought $800$800 shares in Global Minerals Co. at $\$2.35$$2.35 each.

  1. Calculate the value of the shares Sally bought.

  2. The stockbroker charges a fee of $\$15$$15 to buy or sell stocks up to a value of $\$10000$$10000 and $\$25$$25 for transactions over $\$10000$$10000. How much does Sally pay in fees?

    $\$15$$15

    A

    $\$25$$25

    B
  3. After a period of time, Sally receives a dividend of $\$0.26$$0.26 per share. What is Sally’s gross dividend, correct to the nearest dollar?

  4. Calculate the dividend yield. Leave your answer as a percentage correct to two decimal places.

Outcomes

1.1.1.8

calculate the dividend paid on a portfolio of shares, given the percentage dividend or dividend paid per share, for each share; and compare share values by calculating a price-to-earnings ratio

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