Do Common Dividends Have an Influence on the Return of Equity?

ROE equals the company's net after-tax profits, divided by average shareholder equity. If the analyst desires, multiplying the figure by 100 will convert the result into a percentage. For example, if a business earned $100,000 after taxes, and total shareholder equity equals $1 million, ROE equals $100,000/$1,000,000 = 0.1. Expressed as a percentage, the shareholders have earned 0.1*100 = 10% on their invested capital. Investors can compare this figure to the ROE of other companies they can invest in or what they can expect to earn by placing the same funds in a mutual fund or bank deposit.

Dividend payments will impact the net shareholder equity on the balance sheet and will therefore influence the ROE figure. When a business pays dividends, its retained earnings will decline. Since retained earnings is added to the paid-in capital to calculate the total shareholder equity, dividend payments will reduce the total shareholder equity on the balance sheet. A reduction in shareholder equity translates to a smaller denominator in the ROE equation. In other words, the analyst divides the net income figure by a smaller number, which results in a larger ROE. In sum, dividends reduce shareholder equity and boost ROE.

If the shareholder equity in a company has fluctuated over the period during which the net income has been earned, you need to use the average shareholder equity to calculate ROE. If, for example, the profit used in the formula is for an entire calendar year and shareholder equity has increased from $1,000,000 to $1,100,000 from the beginning of the year until December 31, the average of these figures, or $1,050,000, is the number that should go into the denominator in the ROE calculation. Shareholder equity can fluctuate due to various reasons, including the sale of additional shares to investors, dividend payments or losses.

Although dividend payments boost ROE by reducing the denominator in the formula over the short term, the long-term effects are harder to predict. Paying dividends means giving some of the cash in the company's bank accounts to shareholders. If this cash was far in excess of the company's needs and was sitting idle, its distribution will likely have no effect on profits. If, however, paying this sum means forgoing profitable investment options, long-term profits will likely take a hit. In such cases, the net effect on ROE depends on whether the decline in earnings or the reduction in shareholder equity as a result of dividend payments is greater.