The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price has had a rough trot in recent years. It was among those struck down amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
If an investor were to have bought $1,000 of Flight Centre shares in December 2012, they likely would have walked away with 42 stocks, paying $23.59 apiece.
Today, that parcel would be worth $607.32, 39% less than our figurative investor's purchase price. The Flight Centre share price is currently $14.46.
For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has gained around 55% over the decade just been.
But have the dividends offered by the ASX 200 travel favourite made up for its share price's struggles? Let's take a look.
Image source: Getty Images
How much have Flight Centre shares paid in dividends in 10 years?
Here are all the dividends Flight Centre has declared since December 2012:
| Flight Centre dividends' pay date | Type | Dividend amount |
| October 2019 | Final | 98 cents |
| April 2019 | Interim | 60 cents |
| April 2019 | Special | $1.49 |
| October 2018 | Final | $1.07 |
| April 2018 | Interim | 60 cents |
| October 2017 | Final | 94 cents |
| April 2017 | Interim | 45 cents |
| October 2016 | Final | 92 cents |
| April 2016 | Interim | 60 cents |
| October 2015 | Final | 97 cents |
| April 2015 | Interim | 55 cents |
| October 2014 | Final | 97 cents |
| April 2014 | Interim | 55 cents |
| October 2013 | Final | 91 cents |
| April 2013 | Interim | 46 cents |
| Total: | $12.06 |
As the above chart shows, Flight Centre hasn't paid shareholders a dividend since 2019. Though, it has declared one since.
The company ultimately revoked a 40-cent per share interim payout in March 2020 as part of its response to the pandemic. Since then, it hasn't turned a profit and, thus, hasn't offered a dividend.
Still, over the last 10 years, Flight Centre has paid out $12.06 per share to investors. That means our figurative parcel would have yielded $506.52 in passive income.
Thus, the imagined investor would still be in the green – their buy would have returned 11% over its life.
Sadly, however, holding out for another dividend from the ASX 200 travel giant might still prove to be a long waiting game.
Goldman Sachs doesn't expect Flight Centre shares to return to dividends until financial year 2025.
