Dividend Yields of S&P 500 stocks
July 09, 2007
The Standard and Poor's 500 index represents the most widely-held U.S. stocks based on market size and liquidity with a diverse selection of stocks across all sectors. Because of the strict requirements, inclusion in the index is an excellent indicator of the financial health of a company. Many mutual funds mirror the holdings of the S&P 500 with their own index funds creating more demand for the stocks of the companies included. The average yield of stocks in the Standard and Poor's 500 Index is currently 2.35%. A select list of stocks included in the S&P 500 Index with a dividend yield of over 3.00% includes:
Integrys Energy Group (TEG) 5.24%
Washington Mutual (WM) 5.13%
Ameren (AEE) 5.10%
U.S. Bancorp (USB) 4.80%
Pfizer (PFE) 4.47%
Citigroup (C) 4.15%
Verizon (VZ) 3.88%
Altria (MO) 3.84%
AT&T (T) 3.51%
JP Morgan Chase (JPM) 3.11%
Merck (MRK) 3.09%
Dividends are subject to change and dividend yields are subject to increase/decrease as the price of the underlying stock changes. Investors should study the dividend history of a particular stock before forecasting a steady income stream from a stock.
