The last five years have been rough for AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) investors, with the company's share price tumbling 79% in that time.
Stock in the 174-year-old financial institution was trading at $4.99 at this point of 2018.
That was shortly before the company's dirty laundry – of which there was plenty – was aired by the Banking Royal Commission.
Today, The AMP share price sits at just $1.06 apiece.
That means a $3,000 investment in AMP shares back then probably would have bought 601 securities. Today, that parcel would be worth just $637.
For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has risen around 21% over the same period.
But could AMP's dividends have made up for its share price's poor performance? Let's take a look.
All dividends paid to AMP shareholders over the last 5 years
Here are all the offerings placed on the table for those invested in AMP shares over the last five years:
| AMP dividends' pay date | Type | Dividend amount |
| October 2020 | Special | 10 cents |
| March 2019 | Final | 4 cents |
| September 2018 | Interim | 10 cents |
| Total: | 24 cents |
That's right, each AMP share provided just 24 cents to investors who bought on 29 March 2018. In fact, the ASX 200 company put a hold on its dividends in mid-2019 as it struggled to right its rocky ship.
That means our figurative parcel would have yielded around $144.24 of passive income over its life – certainly not enough to substantially soften shareholders' losses.
Though, investors currently have the company's upcoming 2.5 cent dividend to look forward to. Shareholders have the offering in the bag after the stock traded ex-dividend earlier this month, with the payment to hit accounts next week.
And that might be just the beginning.
AMP shares could be on track to offer a 3.96% dividend yield at its current price. That is if suggestions it could pay 4.2 cents per share of dividends this financial year prove fruitful.
