Have you owned Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares over the last five years? If so, you probably know the stock has suffered in that time.
Indeed, what was a $5,000 investment in February 2018 would be worth just $3,750.63 today.
In that time, the Westpac share price has slumped from $30.49 to $23.01 – a 24.5% tumble.
For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has traded relatively flat over that time.
Fortunately, the big four bank has continued to pay out dividends. Let's take a look at the total return on the table for those invested in Westpac shares over the last five years.
All dividends paid to those holding Westpac shares since 2018
Here're all the dividends paid by the ASX 200 giant over the last five years:
| Westpac dividends' pay date | Type | Dividend amount |
| December 2022 | Final | 64 cents |
| June 2022 | Interim | 61 cents |
| December 2021 | Final | 60 cents |
| June 2021 | Interim | 58 cents |
| December 2020 | Final | 31 cents |
| December 2019 | Final | 80 cents |
| June 2019 | Interim | 94 cents |
| December 2018 | Final | 94 cents |
| July 2018 | Interim | 94 cents |
| Total: | $6.36 |
That's right, every Westpac share has yielded a total of $6.36 in dividends over the last five years.
That means what was a $5,000 parcel back in February 2018 then has probably provided $1,036.68 of passive income over its life.
Though, that's not enough to see an investor break even. Factoring in both the bank's falling share price and its dividends, our figurative investor is likely 3.6% in the red.
Fortunately, however, all of the big four bank's dividends in that time have been fully franked. That means they may have provided tax benefits to some investors.
Not to mention, its current dividend yield likely looks attractive to passive income investors with a 5.4% yield right now.
