How Broadcom Stock Delivered $51 Billion In Shareholder Value

Core Viewpoint - Broadcom (AVGO) has returned a substantial $51 billion to its shareholders over the past decade through dividends and buybacks, ranking it 54th in history for capital returns to shareholders [2][3]. Shareholder Returns - The company’s cash distributions in the form of dividends and share repurchases reflect management's confidence in its financial stability and ability to generate consistent cash flows [4]. - A comparison of capital returns shows that companies with higher returns, like Broadcom, may have lower growth potential compared to firms like Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT), which have returned a smaller percentage of their market capitalization to shareholders [5]. Financial Performance - Broadcom has demonstrated strong financial metrics, including a revenue growth rate of 23.9% over the last twelve months and a three-year average growth rate of 25.2% [10]. - The company has a free cash flow margin of nearly 42.1% and an operating margin of 40.8% for the last twelve months [10]. - The minimum annual revenue growth for Broadcom in the past three years was 7.9% [10]. - The stock is currently valued with a P/E multiple of 67.3 [10]. Market Risks - Despite solid fundamentals, Broadcom's stock has experienced significant declines during market corrections, including a drop of approximately 27% in 2018, nearly 48% during the COVID crash, and about 35% amidst inflation shocks [7]. - Risks are not limited to major market downturns; stocks can decline even in favorable conditions due to events like earnings announcements and business updates [8].