Equity Income: What it is, How it Works, Examples (2024)

What Is Equity Income?

Equity income primarily refers to income from stock dividends, which are cash payments from companies to their shareholders as a reward for investing in their stock. In other words, equity income investments are those known to pay dividend distributions.

Key Takeaways

  • Equity income is money earned from stock dividends, which investors can access by owning dividend-paying stocks or funds.
  • Income-paying stocks or funds are typically preferred by more conservative investors looking for long-term income.
  • Investors interested in equity income should look to quality stocks that have a high dividend yield—both the trailing and forward yield.
  • Investors should consider if the stock or fund has a dividend reinvestment program and any tax implications.

Understanding Equity Income

Stocks are the most common type of equity income investment. Companies generally pay dividends when they have limited investment opportunities and excess cash available as a way to reward shareholders, attract investor capital, and support their share prices. Equity income investments offer an additional return component tocapital gains, helping to compensate for a lack of explosive growth potential.

Dividend-paying companies are typically large, well-established companies with mature revenue and earnings. Most dividend-paying companies also have a well-established commitment to paying shareholders dividends with a targeted annual dividend payout rate factored into their corporate financial planning.

Mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which are investment vehicles that contain a basket of securities, can be managed with a focus on equity income. These funds invest in dividend-paying stocks.

Large and established companies—called blue chips—often provide high dividend payments. The Dow Jones Industrial Average contains 30 blue-chip stocks, some of which pay lucrative dividends.

Equity Income Investing

Income-paying companies are often favored by moderately conservative investors. They may also be sought by investors specifically seeking income investments. Dividend income-paying companies tend to be value stocks that investors seek to hold long term.

Equity income funds are also popular for the same reasons. Most large investment managers will typically have equity income fund offerings because of their high demand. The objective for most equity income funds will be to invest for capital appreciation and income. Therefore, they seek stocks with value appreciation that also have an equity income component.

Vanguard offers some of the best dividend-paying funds for a relatively low expense ratio. These funds track an index of stocks that often pay an attractive dividend.

An equity-income investment’s dividend yield is a top characteristic considered in equity income investing. Stocks and funds will have a trailing and forward dividend yield that helps investors gauge the payout as a percentage of the price.

Successfulincome investing isn't just about hunting down the highest yields, though. Investors should consider how sustainable the dividend is, the potential for payouts to grow, and whether there is a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) that allows them to reinvest the dividends in fractional shares of the stock or fund.

Taxes are another important consideration. Investors must pay taxes on equity income received from stock and fund investments regardless of whether or not the distributions are reinvested.

Examples of Equity Income

Below are two equity income investments in the market as of May 2023.

International Business Machines

International Business Machines (IBM) is one of the highest-yielding dividend stocks. On May 9, 2023, it was paying a dividend yield of 5.48%.

Vanguard Equity Income Fund (VEIPX):

Those who don't want to invest in individual stocks can opt for a mutual fund that diversifies their investment by owning stocks of various companies. VEIPX is a popular mutual fund for income investors. It focuses primarily on U.S. companies that are consistent dividend payers and tends to invest in slow-growth but high-yielding stocks.

The fund pays regular quarterly dividends with an SEC yield of 2.66%, as of April 30, 2023. The fund has a low expense ratio of 0.28% and a $3,000 minimum investment requirement.

Equity Income: What it is, How it Works, Examples (2024)

FAQs

Equity Income: What it is, How it Works, Examples? ›

What Is Equity Income? Equity income primarily refers to income from stock dividends, which are cash payments from companies to their shareholders as a reward for investing in their stock. In other words, equity income investments are those known to pay dividend distributions.

What is an example of equity income? ›

Here are 10 examples of equity accounts with explanations:
  • Common stock. ...
  • Preferred stock. ...
  • Retained earnings. ...
  • Contributed surplus. ...
  • Additional paid-in capital. ...
  • Treasury stock. ...
  • Dividends. ...
  • Other comprehensive income (OCI)
Jul 31, 2023

What is equity in income? ›

Equity income refers to income that is received through stock dividends.

What are equity funds with examples? ›

A fund is considered an equity fund if exposure to this type of asset is 75% or higher. Shares of listed companies are the most well-known equities. Other examples include currencies, commodities, preference shares, convertible bonds or investment funds themselves.

How is equity income calculated? ›

Equity Income is calculated by adding up a shareholder's dividend payouts for a year, along with the capital gains made from stock sales. This allows an investor to see if his investment strategy is effective or needs adjusting.

Are equity income funds good? ›

Equity funds generally carry higher risk compared with income funds because of the inherent volatility of the stock market. However, they also offer the potential for higher returns over the long term.

How is equity income taxed? ›

Income Tax on Long Term Capital Gain on Shares

Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG) on shares and equity-oriented mutual funds in India are taxed at a 10% rate (plus surcharge and cess) if they reach Rs. 1 lakh in a fiscal year.

How to generate income from equity? ›

You can convert equity to cash through either a sale or a loan, which can then be used in multiple ways, including investments in stocks, bonds, real estate, and business opportunities. By converting equity to opportunity, you can grow your total assets and sources of income.

How does equity work? ›

Equity represents the value that would be returned to a company's shareholders if all of the assets were liquidated and all of the company's debts were paid off. We can also think of equity as a degree of residual ownership in a firm or asset after subtracting all debts associated with that asset.

What is equity for dummies? ›

Equity is the total, liquid cash value of an asset. But to accurately calculate that value, you need to account for any debts or other liabilities first. The total equity is the value minus all liabilities. This definition may apply to personal or corporate ownership.

What is equity with simple example? ›

Equity can be calculated by subtracting liabilities from assets and can be applied to a single asset, such as real estate property, or to a business. For example, if someone owns a house worth $400,000 and owes $300,000 on the mortgage, that means the owner has $100,000 in equity.

Are equity funds good or bad? ›

Equity funds provide investors with several benefits, including diversification, professional management, and the potential for superior returns. These funds also come with risks associated with stock market volatility and losses.

Which equity is best to buy? ›

List of Equity Mutual Funds in India
Fund NameCategory1Y Returns
SBI Contra FundEquity51.7%
Quant ELSS Tax Saver FundEquity64.1%
JM Flexicap FundEquity67.7%
SBI Long Term Equity FundEquity62.5%
12 more rows

What is the difference between equity and income? ›

Net income is calculated by taking a company's revenues for a given period of time and subtracting the cost of goods sold. The cost of goods sold includes all the expenses involved in doing business, such as rent, payroll, equipment, advertising, and taxes. Owner's equity is the business's assets minus its liabilities.

Is equity income net income? ›

Net income is the amount of income, net expenses, and taxes that a company generates for a given period. Average shareholders' equity is calculated by adding equity at the beginning of the period. The beginning and end of the period should coincide with the period during which the net income is earned.

Is equity part of income? ›

Equity can be found on a company's financial statements, but not the income statement. Image source: www.seniorliving.org. Shareholders' equity -- also referred to as owners' equity or simply "equity" -- is an important number for investors, as it shows a company's net worth.

What type of account is equity income? ›

What are Equity Accounts? There are several types of equity accounts that combine to make up total shareholders' equity. These accounts include common stock, preferred stock, contributed surplus, additional paid-in capital, retained earnings, other comprehensive earnings, and treasury stock.

References

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