An uplift in energy prices led the Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) share price to post-COVID highs in 2022.
The Russian war in Ukraine sparked oil prices to touch US$120 a barrel last month before retracing to US$100 today.
Woodside shares have moved in sync with the price of oil, reaching a year-to-date high of $35.77 in early June.
Subsequently, the company paid its biggest-ever dividend to shareholders after reporting robust growth in its full-year results.
This is in sharp contrast to the previous dividends paid by Woodside over the years, given the market's volatility since COVID-19.
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A quick recap on the Woodside dividend history
Here's a quick look at the Woodside dividends distributed to shareholders over the last five years.
- September 2017 – 61.95 cents (interim)
- March 2018 – 62.61 cents (final)
- September 2018 – 72.80 cents (interim)
- March 2019 – 127.06 cents (final)
- September 2019 – 53.24 cents (interim)
- March 2020 – 83.13 cents (final)
- September 2020 – 36.24 cents (interim)
- March 2021 – 15.29 cents (final)
- September 2021 – 41.03 cents (interim)
- March 2022 – 146.15 cents (final)
In total, Woodside has paid $6.99 in dividends to shareholders from this time in 2017.
At yesterday's closing price of $31, the company has a trailing dividend yield of 6.03%.
How does this compare with the Santos dividend?
Like Woodside, the Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) share price has also surged recently.
In fact, Australia's second-largest energy company by market capitalisation is up 10% year to date, and up around 140% since 2017.
When looking at the dividend history, Santos has distributed a total of 58.5 cents to shareholders since 2017.
Although this may seem minuscule, it's worth noting that Santos shares fetch considerably lower than its peer at $6.97 apiece.
However, when comparing the energy giants against each other, the Woodside dividend offers better value.
Currently, Santos has a trailing dividend yield of 2.79%.
Woodside share price snapshot
The Woodside share price is up 32% over the last 12 months and more than 40% in 2022.
The company has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 16.50 and commands a market capitalisation of roughly $58.58 billion.
