Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. · TDS · NYSE
Dividend report · updated Nov 11, 2026
$32.10 -2.04% on the day, -$0.67
TDS stock page: price, charts & signals →
UnlockDividend Safety Rating: paid plans onlyDividend Safety Rating: paid plans only Is TDS’s dividend Very Safe or High Risk? 12 checks scored. Payout ratio, raise streak, recession record and 9 more. Show the rating
Yearly payout / yield
$0.16·0.50%
$0.04 quarterly x 4 ⓘ
Next payment
~$0.04/qtr
pays ~Dec 17 (est.) ⓘ
Next ex-date
Dec 15est.
own by Dec 14 ⓘ
Years without a cut
1 yr
since the 2024 cut (-78.4%) ⓘ
Paying since
1987
160 payments on file
Yield vs history ⓘ
29
Below its usual yield
plus a special dividend: $10.25 in the last year — not in the rate
TDS share price & total return
Daily closing price, adjusted for stock splits.
TDS stock page »All dividend lists »Build a portfolio around TDS »
DSRSimilar stocksHistoryPayoutsFAQ
Last 20 payments
TDS Dividend Growth (CAGR)
1Y 0.0%3Y -40.0%5Y -25.6%10Y -12.3%
Per-share amount, by the date it paid (~ = about, from its usual pay gap). Orange = special or irregular payment. The enlarge button shows all 160 payments since 1987.
Annual dividends and growth
Total paid per share in each calendar year. 2026: the solid bar is paid so far; the dashed box on top is expected (1 estimated from the current $0.04 rate), not a promise. Totals include specials; the growth line leaves them out.
Next 5 years if the pace holds
If the recent pace holds — one-off jumps left out. Not a forecast. Pace: 0% a year, its typical raise over the last 5 years. Special payments are left out. Today's $0.16 a year would stay $0.16 by 2031 - 0.50% on today's $32.10 price.

How Many TDS Shares for $500 or $1,000 a Month?

At $0.16 a share a year, $500 a month takes about 37,500 TDS shares, about $1,203,750 at the Nov 11, 2026 close of $32.10. $1,000 a month takes about 75,000 shares, about $2,407,500. Before taxes, and only while the rate holds.

Telephone and Data Systems (TDS) pays $0.04 a share quarterly, $0.16 a year, a 0.50% run-rate yield at the Nov 11, 2026 close of $32.10. A special dividend of $10.25 came on top in the last year; specials are paid case by case, so they never count in the rate or the yield here. It has made 160 dividend payments since 1987.

At today’s rate of $0.04 quarterly and the last close of $32.10, this is what TDS pays before taxes, if the rate stays where it is:

You holdEach paymentPer month (avg)Per year
1 share$0.04$0.01$0.16
100 shares$4.00$1.33$16.00
$10,000 invested (311.5 shares)$12.46$4.15$49.84
37,500 shares ($500/mo)$1,500.00$500.00$6,000.00
75,000 shares ($1,000/mo)$3,000.00$1,000.00$12,000.00

With DRIP on, every payment buys more shares instead of landing as cash. 100 TDS shares reinvest into 0.12 new shares each payment, about 0.5 new shares a year at today’s price and rate, and each new share collects the next payment too. To DRIP one whole new share every payment you need about 803 shares. Raises speed that up; a falling share price buys more shares per payment, but each is worth less. See the snowball over 10 to 30 years with TDS’s own history in the TDS DRIP calculator.

UnlockDividend Safety Rating: paid plans only
Dividend Safety Rating Not financial advice
See TDS’s rating and its 12 factors.
See the rating & factors »
An algorithmic rating built from reported data, not a recommendation.
  • Coverage (EPS): are profits enough to pay the dividend rating
  • Coverage (FCF): is spare cash enough to pay the dividend rating
  • Dividend vs cash flow + debt: is the dividend paid with borrowed money report
  • Debt load: how much the balance sheet leans on borrowing rating
  • Debt interest coverage: can profits easily pay the interest bill rating
  • Earnings direction: are sales and profits growing or shrinking report
  • Liquidity: is there cash for debts due this year rating
  • Raise streak: how many years in a row it raised see details
  • Years without a cut: how long since the last dividend cut see details
  • Raise vs trend: are recent raises keeping their usual pace history
  • Yield vs history: is today’s yield high or low versus its past rating
  • Recession record: what the dividend did in past crashes history

TDS Dividend Yield Today vs Its 5-Year Range

29/100Below its usual yieldvs its 10-yr history
  • TDS yields 0.50% today, at the Nov 11, 2026 close of $32.10.
  • Its own 10-year median is 2.42%, so today’s yield is below its usual level.
  • No steady norm: a 0.50% yield is too small to say much about the price. So this reads today’s yield against its own 10-year history as it is.
Last 5 years: lowest to highest month-end yield
0.36% low11.08% high
Blue mark = today, grey = its 10-year median. A higher yield than usual means a lower price against the payout.

Where today ranks in its own history is in the paid report

How it works. Each month-end over the last 10 years gives one yield: the regular payment then, times payments a year, over that day’s close. Specials are left out. 50 means today’s yield sits right at its usual level. A lower score means the yield is below its usual level, so the price is high against the payout. A higher score means the yield is above its usual level. On price alone a payer stays between 15 and 85. Steady raisers get a few points back. It reads the past, not the future.

When Is TDS’s Next Dividend? Ex-Date and Pay Date After September 2026

TDS has not declared its next dividend yet. By its usual rhythm of about 91 days between ex-dates, the next ex-date falls around Dec 15, 2026, with the cash around Dec 17, 2026. An estimate, not a promise: only the declaration makes it final. The latest one, $0.04 a share, went ex on Sep 15, 2026 and paid Sep 17, 2026.

  • Ex-dates: about every 91 days (quarterly)
  • Payment: usually about 2 days after the ex-date

Every payer going ex-dividend this week is on the dividend calendar.

How Often Does TDS Pay?

TDS pays quarterly, 4 times a year. Recent payments arrived in Feb, Mar, Jun and Sep, with ex-dates in Jan, Mar, Jun and Sep. The ex-date comes about every 91 days, and the cash usually lands about 2 days later.

Paid in the last 12 months
$10.41 a share, in 5 payments, $10.25 of it special.
+6,406.3% against the 12 months before ($0.16 in 4 payments).
Cash that landed, by pay date. The yield up top uses today’s rate instead, so a raise or a cut shows there first.
Payout months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Pays in Feb, Mar, Jun and Sep. Ex-dates fall in Jan, Mar, Jun and Sep (latest 4 payments).
Raise history
  • Streak: 0 years of higher annual totals (through 2025)
  • Last raise: Mar 14, 2024 - $0.185 to $0.19 (+$0.005, +2.70%)
  • Usual $ step: $0.005 (median of the raises before it)
Coverage
  • EPS payout: 3.9% - $0.16 paid / $4.09 EPS (4 quarters to Sep 30, 2026); own 4-yr norm 300.0% (median of 12 earlier trailing years)
  • FCF payout: n/a (free cash flow per share negative) - $0.16 paid / -$5.27 free cash flow per share (4 quarters to Sep 30, 2026); own 4-yr norm 61.6% (median of 12 earlier trailing years)

TDS vs Similar Dividend Stocks (HTWSF, PHI...)

Against the 10 dividend-paying Communication Services companies closest to TDS in market value, TDS’s 0.50% run-rate yield is below the group’s middle yield of 2.49%, and its raise streak of 0 years is the 4th longest. A higher yield than the group is not a bonus by itself: it is often the market pricing in a cut, so read it next to the rating and the coverage behind it.

Ticker Dividend ⓘ Yield Safety Rating No cut ⓘ
TDS $32.10Telephone and Data Systems $0.04/qtr$0.16/yr fwd 0.50% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only 1 yrno raise streak
HTWSF $2.96Helios Towers $0.0082/qtr$0.03/yr fwd 1.10% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only —no raise streak
PHI $18.11PLDT $0.752/half-yr$1.50/yr fwd 8.30% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only 8 yrsno raise streak
JOYY $80.96JOYY, Inc. Sponsored ADR Class A $1.55/qtr$6.20/yr fwd 7.66% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only 1+ yrno raise streak
IIJIY $47.02Internet Initiative Japan $0.303/half-yr$0.61/yr fwd 1.29% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only 18+ yrsraised 2 yrs in a row
TKC $4.86Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. $0.106/yr 2.18% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only 3 yrsno raise streak
WLY $50.95John Wiley & Sons $0.3575/qtr$1.43/yr fwd 2.81% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only 40+ yrsraised 32 yrs in a row
CNK $41.18Cinemark Holdings $0.09/qtr$0.36/yr fwd 0.87% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only 1 yrno raise streak
AD $28.94Array Digital Infrastructure $11.00/half-yr$22.00/yr fwd 76.02% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only —no raise streak
VSNT $34.93Versant Media Group $0.375/qtr$1.50/yr fwd 4.29% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only —no raise streak
IRDM $46.13Iridium Communications $0.15/qtr$0.60/yr fwd 1.30% Dividend Safety Rating: paid plans only 2+ yrsraised 2+ yrs in a row

Yield and the safety rating are only half of it. See total returns with dividends reinvested, side by side: TDS vs HTWSF, TDS vs PHI, TDS vs JOYY.

TDS Dividend History: Every Payment Since 1987

Ex-datePay dateAmountFrequencyType
Sep 15, 2026Sep 17, 2026$0.04QuarterlyRegular
Jun 16, 2026Jun 18, 2026$0.04QuarterlyRegular
Mar 16, 2026Mar 18, 2026$0.04QuarterlyRegular
Jan 23, 2026Feb 2, 2026$10.25QuarterlySpecial
Dec 15, 2025Dec 17, 2025$0.04QuarterlyRegular
Sep 15, 2025Sep 17, 2025$0.04QuarterlyRegular
Jun 16, 2025Jun 18, 2025$0.04QuarterlyRegular
Mar 17, 2025Mar 19, 2025$0.04QuarterlyRegular
Dec 16, 2024Dec 18, 2024$0.04QuarterlyRegular
Sep 16, 2024Sep 18, 2024$0.04QuarterlyRegular
The other 150 TDS payments come with a paid plan.
Show all 160 payments »
Newest first. Amounts are per share as paid, restated for splits; frequency is the schedule on file for that payment; a payment over 2.5x its neighbours is marked special.
From reported payments, prices and filings — data, not investment advice.

What the Dividend Safety Rating Means for TDS

UnlockDividend Safety Rating: paid plans only
See where TDS lands, and why.
See the rating & factors »
Own TDS? Your payouts fill in by themselves Add TDS once, with your buy date and share count. Every dividend since fills in, dated and in dollars, and with DRIP on each new share is counted for you.
Track TDS →

TDS Dividend Questions

How often does TDS pay dividends?

TDS pays quarterly, 4 times a year. Recent payments arrived in Feb, Mar, Jun and Sep, with ex-dates in Jan, Mar, Jun and Sep. The ex-date comes about every 91 days, and the cash usually lands about 2 days later.

Does TDS pay dividends monthly?

No. TDS pays quarterly, 4 times a year. For payers that pay every month, see the monthly dividend stocks.

When is the next TDS dividend?

TDS has not declared its next dividend yet. By its usual rhythm of about 91 days between ex-dates, the next ex-date falls around Dec 15, 2026, with the cash around Dec 17, 2026. An estimate, not a promise: only the declaration makes it final. The latest one, $0.04 a share, went ex on Sep 15, 2026 and paid Sep 17, 2026. The current rate is $0.04 per share, $0.16 a year.

Does TDS pay a dividend in December 2026?

Not declared yet. By its usual rhythm the next ex-date falls around Dec 15, 2026, with the cash around Dec 17, 2026, so a payment in December 2026 is likely. Only the company’s declaration makes it final.

How much does TDS pay per share?

TDS pays $0.04 a share quarterly, $0.16 a year. At the Nov 11, 2026 close of $32.10 that is a 0.50% run-rate yield, below its usual level: its own 10-year median is 2.42%.

Has TDS raised its dividend?

TDS has no current streak of yearly raises. The latest raise, on Mar 14, 2024, took the rate from $0.185 to $0.19 (+2.70%). Over five years the dividend grew -25.6% a year.

Is TDS’s dividend safe?

No rating can promise a future payment, but the record on file says a lot. TDS paid out 4% of its earnings as dividends over the 4 quarters to Sep 30, 2026. It has gone 1 years without a cut. This is data, not investment advice. The full 12-check rating comes with a plan.

How do I track my TDS dividends?

Add TDS to a free DRIPCalc portfolio once, with your buy date and share count. Every payout since fills in, dated and in dollars; with DRIP on, the new shares each payment buys are counted for you, so there is no spreadsheet to update and no broker login. To project the snowball, run TDS in the DRIP calculator.

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How this page is built: the rate is the latest regular dividend per share; run-rate yield = rate × payments per year ÷ last close (Nov 11, 2026), never a trailing 12-month total, which lags after a raise and hides a cut. Specials and one-off payments never count in the rate; a payer whose regular payments differ in size is annualized over its last full cycle of regular payments. Raise streak = consecutive calendar years with a higher amount per payment than the year before; years without a cut = years in which the amount per payment held within 1%. The Dividend Safety Rating reads 12 visible lines: coverage, streak, raise pace and yield range for dividend stocks; NAV trend, NAV funding and payout stability for income funds. Similar payers = the same sector or fund group, nearest in market value or fund size. Payments, prices and filings come from DRIPCALC’s price and dividend database. History is not a forecast. This is data, not investment advice.