These 2 "Magnificent Seven" Stocks Dominate This $1.7 Trillion Annual Outlay
Companies paid their shareholders a staggering $1.7 trillion in dividends last year. That was up 5% from the prior year, setting a new record.
The leading dividend payers might come as a surprise. Tech titans (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) led the way in dividend payments last year. They're part of the much-lauded "Magnificent Seven" stocks, which are more known for their ability to deliver outsize stock price appreciation than income. Here's a look at their dividend outlays last year and where some of their Magnificent Seven rivals stand as dividend stocks.
Microsoft paid $20.7 billion in dividends last year, leading the globe in that category. That massive outlay enabled the technology giant to reclaim the top spot among dividend payers, a title it last held in 2020. Microsoft was second in 2021 and held third place in 2022 after falling behind Australian mining giant BHP Group, which led the way in those two years. BHP Group fell to sixth last year due to the variable nature of its dividend, which ties the payout to its commodity price-driven profits. Meanwhile, Microsoft has increased its dividend per share by 10% in each of the past two years.
Source Fool.com
Microsoft Corp. Stock
The stock is one of the favorites of our community with 112 Buy predictions and 3 Sell predictions.
With a target price of 425 € there is a slightly positive potential of 12.52% for Microsoft Corp. compared to the current price of 377.7 €.
