Dividend payouts set another record in the second quarter, a reassuring sign to investors who have flocked to steady, income-generating stocks during the market downturn this year.
The companies in the S&P 500 paid out a record $140.6 billion in dividends in the most recent quarter, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. That’s up from $137.6 billion in the first three months of the year and $123.4 billion in the same quarter last year.