The ratio of annualized dividends to the price of a share. Dividend yields are widely used to measure the income return of a share. High yields may mean high dividends, or they may mean that the price of the share has fallen, making the ratio look impressive despite a poor market rating of the company. Low yields may mean that the company's share price is high in anticipation of rapid growth, or that the company is not distributing much of its earnings in dividends, preferring to keep cash for reinvestment in the business. |