Despite a volatile past 12 months, the Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price has surged 255% since 2017.
The iron ore miner's shares hit a record high of $26.58 last July before sinking almost 50% in the following months.
Nonetheless, its shares have recovered some lost ground and last traded at $18.56.
The company is well-known for paying juicy dividends to shareholders regardless of times of economic uncertainty.
Let's dive in to see how the Fortescue dividend stacks up against its peers over the last 5 years.
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A recap of Fortescue's dividend history
Here's a brief rundown on Fortescue's most recent dividend history.
- October 2017 – 25 cents (final)
- April 2018 – 11 cents (interim)
- October 2018 – 12 cents (final)
- March 2019 – 30 cents (interim)
- June 2019 – 60 cents (special dividend)
- October 2019 – 24 cents (final)
- April 2020 – 76 cents (interim)
- October 2020 – $1.00 (final)
- March 2021 – $1.47 (interim)
- September 2021 – $2.11 (final)
- March 2022 – 86 cents (interim)
When adding the above amounts, Fortescue has paid a total of $7.82 in dividends to shareholders from five years ago.
At the time of writing, the company has a massive trailing dividend yield of 16%.
So how does this compare with the other 2 big miners?
First and foremost, shares in BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) have also accelerated.
They are up 84% and 69% respectively since this time in 2017.
But as you can see, both miners' share price gains pale in comparison to Fortescue.
When looking at the dividend history, BHP has paid a total of $13.31 and Rio Tinto has distributed $39.42 to shareholders.
Bear in mind that BHP shares last traded at $42.98, and Rio Tinto at $106.92 apiece.
The above dividend amounts reflect Fortescue paying around 42% of its current share price in the last 5 years.
In addition, BHP has paid roughly 31% of its current share price, and Rio Tinto at approximately 37%.
BHP and Rio Tinto have a trailing dividend yield of 11.98% and 10.71%, respectively.
Fortescue share price summary
Market swings and weakened investor confidence in the ASX have led the Fortescue share price to register a loss of 4% in 2022.
However, its shares are down 20% over the last 12 months.
Based on valuation grounds, Fortescue presides a market capitalisation of approximately $55.05 billion.
