Dow(US:DOW) Prnewswire·2026-01-07 14:00Core Insights - The indicated net changes in dividends for U.S. domestic common stocks increased by $13.1 billion in Q4 2025, showing growth compared to previous quarters and the same quarter last year [1][7] - The overall dividend growth remained slow but steady, with companies continuing to increase dividends despite uncertainties in tariff policies and economic conditions [3][4] Dividend Increases and Decreases - In Q4 2025, total dividend increases amounted to $16.1 billion, a 14.9% increase from Q3 2025 and a 13.0% increase from Q4 2024 [7][8] - Dividend decreases in Q4 2025 were $3.0 billion, down 12.4% from Q3 2025 and up 20.5% from Q4 2024 [7][13] - For the full year 2025, total dividend increases were $59.3 billion, a decrease of 16.9% from 2024, while decreases were $12.9 billion, down 28.8% from the previous year [2][7] Dividend Payments and Yields - The S&P 500's Q4 2025 dividend payment per share increased by 2.3% to a record $20.25, marking the 16th consecutive annual increase [5] - The weighted indicated dividend yield for paying issues was 2.53% in Q4 2025, slightly up from 2.49% in Q3 2025 but down from 2.83% in Q4 2024 [13] - The average indicated yield decreased to 3.07% in Q4 2025 compared to 3.11% in Q3 2025 and 3.19% in Q4 2024 [13] Market Trends - A total of 634 dividend increases were reported in Q4 2025, a slight decrease from 635 in Q4 2024 [8] - The percentage of non-S&P 500 domestic dividend-paying common issues declined to 19.4% from 19.60% in Q3 2025 and 20.1% in Q4 2024 [13] - 409 issues or 81.3% of the S&P 500 currently pay a dividend, an increase from 407 in both Q3 2025 and Q4 2024 [13]