Dividend Statistics: Dividend Payout Ratios Reach 15-Year High

Sometimes, a company paying money back to Shareholders in the form of dividends also means that it could not find a way to invest the money back into business to grow it further. But that need not be the interpretation always - we spotted this stat today, that 'the percentage of S&P 500 companies paying dividends is now at the highest level recorded in the past 15 years (83%) and even payout ratios for mid-cap and small cap companies are at multi-year highs' (Source)

We are not too sure if this is a trend should be interpreted as 'neutral' - we think it is a net negative, overall.