Analyzing the Dividend Policies of Various Companies

Please recall the company that you selected for the Module 1 SLP. Please review the company’s dividends over the past three years.

Then, answer the following questions in Word (except for the Excel portion specifically noted):

What has occurred with company’s dividend payout, dividend yield, and dividend per share over the past three years? Do you have any explanations for what has occurred? How does your selected company’s dividend payout, dividend yield, and dividend per share compare to other companies in its industry? Has the company’s dividend strategy been similar to other companies in its industry? You are now to use Excel and plot your selected company’s earnings and dividends over the past three years. Do you notice any patterns? What is your estimate for your company’s dividend per share next year? Please justify why you made that decision. Now locate a company that has reduced or eliminated its common stock cash dividend over the past year. Why did the company reduce or eliminate its dividend? What has happened to the company’s stock price over the year?

• Describe the purpose of the report and provide a conclusion. An introduction and a conclusion are important because many busy individuals in the business environment may only read the first and the last paragraph. If those paragraphs are not interesting, they never read the body of the paper.