Dividends are one way for profitable companies to reward their shareholders, while also signaling financial strength and confidence in their future cash flow.Tech stocks, however, have traditionally prioritized stock buybacks over dividends as a way to reinvest excess cash and return value to shareholders.Meta Platforms gives shareholders both. The company regularly spends tens of billions of dollars repurchasing stock, which can boost shareholder value over time if earnings continue to grow, while also paying a quarterly cash dividend.Although Meta (formerly Facebook) went public in 2012, it didn’t begin offering dividends until February 2024. Since then, it has paid shareholders a cash dividend every quarter.So, what’s Meta’s dividend today? Here’s a closer look at the tech giant’s dividend yield, payout ratio, and what income-focused investors should know about its future prospects.Meta dividend quick factsCurrent quarterly payout:$0.525 per shareCurrent annual payout: $2.10 per shareYield: 0.35%Payout Ratio: 8.94%Frequency: QuarterlyYears of dividend increases: 1*Based on Meta’s July 8, 2026 stock price, 2025 earnings, and 12-month total dividends through June 2026.Does Meta offer a dividend?Yes. Meta offers a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, totaling $2.10 per year. Meta’s first dividend came in 2024, after a dramatic year of turnaround. The company’s profits grew 69% to $39 billion in 2023, which Founder Mark Zuckerberg called Meta’s “year of efficiency,” after a major cost-cutting effort that included laying off 21,000 employees, or 13% of its workforce.“Our communities are growing and our businesses are back on track,” Zuckerberg stated.How often does Meta pay dividends?Meta pays dividends quarterly. On May 28, 2026, Meta’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, payable on June 25, 2026, to shareholders of record as of June 15, 2026.The last time the board increased its dividend was in March 2025. Prior to that, it paid out a dividend of $0.50 per share.What is Meta’s payout ratio?In 2025, Meta paid a total of $2.10 a share in dividends and posted net income of $23.49 a share. Payout ratio is calculated by dividend per share divided by earnings per share. For 2025, that payout ratio was 8.94%. By comparison, Home Depot’s 2025 payout ratio was 65%, and Alphabet’s was 7.68%.What is Meta’s dividend yield?Meta’s 12-month dividend yield was 0.35% in early July 2026. That’s based on the 12-month dividend payment of $2.10 through June 2026, and a share price at $603.12.Meta’s yield is significantly lower than the S&P 500’s average 12-month dividend yield of 1.05% through July 8, 2026, according to multpl.com, which tracks dividend data. However, it is in line with many large technology companies, which prioritize investing in research and development — particularly in artificial intelligence — rather than returning cash to shareholders. Alphabet’s dividend yield was 0.24%.Is Meta a dividend aristocrat?No, Meta is not a dividend aristocrat. To qualify for this elite group, a company must have raised its dividend for 25 years in a row.More on tech stocks:Nvidia’s stock split history: Everything you need to knowAMD’s stock buybacks explained: History, balance & outlookDoes Intel pay dividends? History & future prospects explainedIs Meta’s dividend safe?Meta’s dividend is typically considered safe because it represents only a fraction of its profits — roughly 8% of its earnings and 11% of its free cash flow.This means that, even during periods of heavy spending on AI infrastructure, Meta’s dividend will be supported by the company’s profits.But there’s one recent plot twist to Meta’s dividend story: Its 2026 layoffs may actually be helping to keep its payout secure.That’s because, according to Forbes, trimming its workforce will save Meta around $3 billion. While those savings represent only a small portion of the company’s massive AI investments, at a time when capital expenditures exceed labor costs, they give management additional flexibility to balance its costs with its ambitions.On its Q1 2026 earnings call, Meta announced that it had raised its capex guidance from a range of $115 billion to $135 billion, to $125 billion to $145 billion, underscoring the scale of its AI investments.“We believe a leaner operating model will allow us to move more quickly while also helping to offset the substantial investments we are making,” Meta CFO Susan Li added.
