The South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) share price has traded relatively flat over the last five years.
Indeed, an investor who bought $4,000 worth of the diversified mining company's stock in May 2018 likely walked away with 997 shares, paying $4.01 apiece.
Today, that parcel would be worth $4,047.82. The South32 share price last traded at $4.06.
For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has climbed 19% in that time.
So, has the passive income on offer through the mining giant's dividends made up for its share price's underwhelming performance? Let's take a look.
All dividends paid to those holding South32 shares since 2018
Here are all the dividends offered to those invested in South32 stock since this time five years ago:
| South32 dividends' pay date | Type | Dividend amount |
| April 2023 | Interim | 7.3 cents |
| October 2022 | Final and special | 20.7 cents and 4.4 cents |
| April 2022 | Interim | 11.9 cents |
| October 2021 | Final and special | 4.8 cents and 2.7 cents |
| April 2021 | Interim | 1.8 cents |
| October 2020 | Final | 1.4 cents |
| April 2020 | Interim | 3.3 cents |
| October 2019 | Final | 4.1 cents |
| April 2019 | Interim | 9.6 cents |
| October 2018 | Final | 8.7 cents |
| Total: | 80.7 cents |
As the chart above shows, each South32 share has yielded 80.7 cents in dividends since this time five years ago.
That means our figurative investment has provided $807.58 of dividend income over its life.
Considering both share price gains and dividends, the ASX 200 stock has provided a return on investment (ROI) of around 23%.
And that might have been bolstered if one were to have reinvested the passive income they received through their South32 shares, thereby compounding any gains.
Not to mention, all the dividends paid by South32 in that time have been fully franked. Thus, they might have brought additional benefits for some investors at tax time.
At the time of writing, South32 shares are trading with an impressive 6.9% dividend yield.
