Effortlessly Retrieve Year-to-Date Dividends per Share
The hf_dividends_paid_per_share_year_to_date function in the MarketXLS add-in for Excel allows you to quickly retrieve the total dividends paid on a per-share basis from the start of the specified year (YTD). Whether you need to analyze a stock’s dividend performance for a particular quarter or want trailing 12-month (TTM) insights, this function streamlines your research and decision-making.
Key benefits include real-time data integration, simplified portfolio tracking, and the ability to pinpoint dividend trends over time.
Why Use This Function?
• Monitor Dividend History: Ideal for investors tracking specific companies’ dividend payouts within the current year.
• Compare Year-Over-Year Performance: Quickly see if a company is raising or lowering its dividends each year.
• Strategize for Income: Useful for dividend investors designing income-focused portfolios.
• Flexible Period Retrieval: Specify different quarters or TTM for deeper insights into changing dividend trends.
How to Use in Excel
Below is the sample syntax to utilize the function in your Excel worksheet:
=hf_dividends_paid_per_share_year_to_date(Symbol, Year, Quarter, [TTM])
• Enter the function directly into a cell.
• Replace “Symbol” with the valid stock ticker.
• Provide the “Year” and the “Quarter” (1, 2, 3, or 4).
• Optionally set “TTM” to "TTM" if you want to retrieve trailing 12-month dividends data.
Once entered and you press Enter, Excel will fetch the data from the MarketXLS data servers.
Parameters Explained
Parameter | Description | Example Values | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Symbol | The ticker symbol of the stock you want to analyze | "AAPL", "MSFT", "TSLA" | Must be a valid ticker; otherwise returns "NA". |
Year | The fiscal or calendar year to check for dividends | "2023", "2022" | Determines the base year. |
Quarter | The specific quarter of the year for the query (optional) | 1, 2, 3, 4 | Defaults to "2" if left blank. Only relevant if TTM is not set to "TTM". |
TTM | If set to "TTM", retrieves dividends data on a trailing basis | "TTM" or omit this value | Overrides the quarter-based lookup with “MRT” (most recent trailing). If left blank, the function uses “MRQ”. |
Notes on returning values:
• If the ticker is invalid, if data isn’t available, or if the user’s license is not valid, the function returns "NA".
• The function typically returns a numeric value representing dividends paid per share.
Example Usage
Basic Examples
-
Fetch Year-to-Date Dividends for Q2 2023:
=hf_dividends_paid_per_share_year_to_date("AAPL", 2023, 2)
This returns Apple’s total dividends paid per share from January 1 through the end of Q2 2023. -
Retrieve Data for Q4 of the Prior Year:
=hf_dividends_paid_per_share_year_to_date("MSFT", 2022, 4)
This shows Microsoft’s total dividends per share from the beginning of 2022 through the end of Q4 2022. -
Omit Quarter (Defaults to 2):
=hf_dividends_paid_per_share_year_to_date("JNJ", 2023)
Since the quarter is left blank, the function defaults to Q2 (quarter=2) for 2023.
Advanced Scenarios
-
Using TTM for Advanced Dividend Analysis:
=hf_dividends_paid_per_share_year_to_date("XOM", 2023, 1, "TTM")
• Ignores the quarter and retrieves trailing 12-month dividends.
• Useful for seeing a rolling perspective of dividend payouts beyond just a single quarter. -
Automating Portfolio Dividend Calculations:
Suppose you maintain a table of multiple stocks in Excel, each with different years and quarters. By referencing cell values for Symbol, Year, and Quarter, you can drag the formula down a column to instantly update YTD or TTM dividends for your entire watchlist. -
Combining with Other Excel Functions:
=IF(hf_dividends_paid_per_share_year_to_date(A2, B2, C2)>0, "Pays Dividend", "No Dividend Data")
• Quickly check which stocks in your list are paying dividends.
• Can help you filter or sort a large list of companies by their YTD payouts.
Common Questions and Troubleshooting
• Why am I getting “NA” in my cell?
- This can happen if the symbol is invalid, data is unavailable (perhaps too recent or outside coverage), or your license type does not support this function.
• What if I leave Quarter blank? - The function automatically uses Quarter = 2.
• Does the function support large historical ranges? - While it primarily focuses on the given year, you can reference older or future years as long as data coverage is available.
• How accurate is the TTM data? - TTM (“MRT” internally) retrieves the trailing 12-month data up to the most recently available quarter, which MarketXLS updates regularly.
• Can I use it for periodic rebalancing or watchlist updates? - Absolutely. You can automate your dividend checks and tie results into other Excel logic for portfolio updates.
By using hf_dividends_paid_per_share_year_to_date, you can streamline your dividend analysis in Excel. Combine it with other MarketXLS functions or Excel formulas to create a powerful, data-driven dividend strategy and keep your investment research efficient and up-to-date.