Why Are Dividends and Buybacks Hitting Record Highs?

Why Are Dividends and Buybacks Hitting Record Highs? Corporate stock buybacks and dividends are booming, thanks to the tax cuts and low interest rates.Unfortunately, artificially low interest rates are associated with unnecessary debt and a rise of corporate debt-to-GDP since the Great Recession.

S&P 500 Dividend Yield Since 1871

S&P 500 Dividend Yield Since 1871 Since 1871, the long-term average dividend yield for the US stock market is 4.34%. The current yield of the S&P500 is 1.87% Is there an anomaly in the past 20 years? Image: multpl.com

Performance vs. S&P 500 by Uses of Cash

Performance vs. S&P 500 by Uses of Cash U.S. companies that spend the most cash on dividends and buybacks have outperformed the S&P 500 since 1992. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research

Decomposition of S&P 500 Total Returns

Decomposition of S&P 500 Total Returns Stock prices are driven by valuation, earnings, dividends and buybacks. Image: BofA US Equity & Quant Strategy

S&P 500 Earnings and U.S. Capital Spending

S&P 500 Earnings and U.S. Capital Spending This chart shows that U.S. core capital spending is near a 20-year high. Are fears that U.S. companies may be curtailing spending plans overblown? The absence of dividend cuts also suggests that U.S. companies are confident in their future earnings potential. Image: The Leuthold Group

S&P 500 Payout Ratio

S&P 500 Payout Ratio Stock buybacks and dividends as a percentage of free cash flow are reaching dangerous levels. Image: MarketWatch

S&P 500 Cash Return Yield by Sector and Region

S&P 500 Cash Return Yield by Sector and Region Currently, the S&P 500 cash return yield (buybacks + dividends) is 5.2%, the highest since 2011. That’s much more than Europe, Japan and emerging markets. Image: Fundstrat Global Advisors, LLC