On the back of rising commodity prices, the Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) share price has surged 50% since 2017.
In early August 2021, the mining giant's shares hit an all-time high of $137.33, buoyed by record iron ore prices.
The steel-making ingredient touched above US$220 a tonne which resulted in strong profits for Rio Tinto.
But this was short-lived as its shares plummeted below $90 two months later before moving in circles ever since.
Notably, Rio Tinto is well-known in the investing world for paying large dividends to shareholders over the years.
Let's take a look below at how much the company has distributed.
Image source: Getty Images
A brief recap on the Rio Tinto dividend history
Here's a rundown of the Rio Tinto dividends that have been paid out to shareholders over the last five years.
- September 2017 – $1.38 (interim)
- April 2018 – $2.29 (final)
- September 2018 – $1.71 (interim)
- April 2019 – $5.90 including special dividend of $3.39 (final)
- September 2019 – $3.08 including special dividend of 89 cents (interim)
- April 2020 – $3.50 (final)
- September 2020 – $2.16 (interim)
- April 2021 – $5.17 including special dividend of $1.20 (final)
- September 2021 – $7.60 including special dividend of $2.51 (interim)
- April 2022 – $6.63 including special dividend of 86 cents (final)
Rio Tinto has paid a total of $39.42 in dividends to shareholders from September 2017 to today. This is quite significant given the figure represents almost 40% of the current share price.
Rio Tinto share price snapshot
Over the last 12 months, the Rio Tinto share price has fallen 24% amid the market's extreme volatility.
Year to date, its shares have been impacted by lower iron ore prices but are relatively stable, down 3% for the period.
Rio Tinto presides a market capitalisation of roughly $36 billion and has a dividend yield of 11.35%.
