Stats Listings, IPOs and corporate actions Dividends and buybacks

S&P 500 buybacks hit $1.020 trillion, dividend yield 1.08%

PeriodBuybacksDividendsCombined
Q3 2024$226.6bn$157.0bn$383.6bn
Q1 2025$293.5bnn/an/a
Q2 2025$234.6bn$165.2bn$399.8bn
Q3 2025$249.0bn$168.1bn$417.1bn
12m to Sep 2024$918.4bn$616.2bn$1,534.6bn
12m to Sep 2025$1,020bn$664.9bn$1,685bn

The Q1 2025 dividend figure is not given in the December release, so the combined column is left blank rather than derived. Source: S&P Dow Jones Indices.

US companies return cash to shareholders through dividends and through buying back their own shares. Over the twelve months to September 2025 the S&P 500 spent $1.020 trillion on buybacks and paid $664.9 billion in dividends. The dividend yield alone misses most of it.

$1.020 trillionBuybacks, year to Sep 2025
$664.9bnDividends, same year
$1.685 trillionBoth channels together
1.08%Index dividend yield

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