Dividend The payment designated by the Board of Directors to be distributed pro rata among the shares out-standing. For preferred shares, the dividend is usually a fixed amount. For common shares, the dividend varies with the fortunes of the company and the amount of cash on hand, and may be omitted if business is poor or if the directors determine to withhold earnings to invest in plants and equip-ment. Sometimes a company will pay a dividend out of past earnings even if it is not currently operating at a profit.