Disclosure: SmartFolio is ours. The advice works with any app, or with pen and paper.

In short

Dividend yield = annual dividend per share ÷ share price × 100. A stock at $38.71 paying $0.4575 a quarter pays $1.83 a year, a 4.73% yield. Yield on cost uses what you paid instead of today’s price.

The formula

Dividend yield = Annual dividend per share ÷ Share price × 100

Find the latest dividend per payment, multiply by payments a year, divide by today’s price.

Yield on cost

Yield on cost = Annual dividend ÷ Your cost per share × 100

If you bought at $30 and the stock now pays $1.83 a year, your yield on cost is 6.1% — the dividend measured against what you actually paid.

Why a high yield can be a warning

Yield goes up when the price goes down. A 12% yield often means the market expects the dividend to be cut. Look at whether earnings cover the dividend before chasing the number.

Dividend yield calculator

Yield —

Example numbers only — not a recommendation.

Track your dividends with SmartFolio

SmartFolio Income: dividends and interest over the last 12 months, by month, and expected dividends by holding
SmartFolio on iPhone
  1. Import your history. From 19 brokers or any CSV — dividends come in with your trades.
  2. See your income. Dividends and interest by month, by year and by stock.
  3. See what’s coming. An estimate of the next 12 months of dividends from what you hold now, with yield and yield on cost.
  4. Keep it private. Free, no account, no ads — every number is calculated on your device.

SmartFolio doesn’t give financial advice.

Common questions

How do you calculate dividend yield?

Divide the annual dividend per share by the share price and multiply by 100.

What is yield on cost?

The annual dividend divided by the price you paid per share.

Is a higher dividend yield better?

Not always — a very high yield can mean the price has fallen because a cut is expected.

What app tracks dividends and yield?

SmartFolio shows income by month and stock, expected dividends, yield and yield on cost, free.

Published · No affiliate links

More guides like this

Delta Portfolio Tracker Alternatives (Free, 2026) Sharesight Alternatives for iPhone Investors Yahoo Finance Portfolio Alternatives (Cost Basis) Stock Events Alternatives for Portfolio Tracking Simpler monday CRM Alternatives for Salespeople All guides Free browser tools