Research cutoff: September 13, 2026. Dollar amounts are USD per common share unless stated otherwise. This guide separates declared payments, calculations and unannounced future decisions.
Meta’s latest verified quarterly cash dividend is $0.525—not $0.55—payable September 28, 2026. Three declared 2026 payments total $1.575 per share. Four unchanged payments would produce $2.10 under a 2027 scenario, subject to future approval.
Meta’s declared 2026 cash dividends
The February 12, May 28 and September 10 declarations specify equal cash amounts for Class A and Class B common shares. September’s distribution is declared future cash at the research cutoff. A fourth 2026 payment is not treated as announced here.
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| Declared | Record date | Payable date | Per share |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 12 | March 16, 2026 | March 26, 2026 | $0.525 |
| May 28 | June 15, 2026 | June 25, 2026 | $0.525 |
| September 10 | September 21, 2026 | September 28, 2026 | $0.525 |
The first two payment dates account for $1.05 per share. Including the declared September payment gives $1.575, or $157.50 for 100 eligible shares. A hypothetical fourth payment at the same rate would bring calendar income to $2.10, but the arithmetic does not make that fourth payment a confirmed event.
Why the half-cent matters
Keep the declared rate at its original precision before multiplying. Rounding $0.525 to $0.53 and then multiplying by four produces $2.12, overstating the unchanged-rate annual calculation by two cents per share. For 1,000 shares, that is a $20 difference. Round the final account-level currency amount as appropriate, rather than changing the issuer’s rate first.
At an illustrative $600 price, $2.10 divided by $600 gives a 0.35% indicated yield. That price is a calculation input, not a current quotation or target. A rising yield caused by a falling share price does not mean the cash dividend increased. Store the price date and rate date separately when comparing yields over time.
A transparent Meta dividend forecast framework
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| Payment assumptions | Annual per share | 100 eligible shares |
|---|---|---|
| Four × $0.525 | $2.10 | $210 |
| Two × $0.525 plus two × $0.55 | $2.15 | $215 |
| Four × $0.50 | $2.00 | $200 |
These calculations assume four distributions, steady eligible holdings and no taxes or fees. They attach no probability to a raise or reduction. An initiation or change late in the year affects the calendar total differently from the annualized rate. No 2027 record or payable date has been generated by copying the 2026 pattern.
What should support the cash distribution?
Our Meta review separates cash from the advertising business from the resources committed to infrastructure, product development and other long-term projects. Strong revenue growth can coexist with heavy capital needs. The useful question is how much recurring cash remains after those needs, not whether one quarter’s reported profit comfortably exceeds one dividend check.
Compare dividend spending with repurchases and the change in common shares outstanding. Repurchases can absorb employee-related issuance without producing an equal reduction in share count. For income investors, that is a different mechanism from cash paid directly to eligible shareholders. Review both without adding a buyback authorization to personal dividend income.
Stress the assumptions instead of extrapolating one growth rate. We would examine weaker advertising demand, higher infrastructure costs and the timing of investment returns. Those are analytical scenarios rather than assertions that such events will occur. A low payout ratio based on earnings does not remove stock-price risk or establish a guaranteed minimum future dividend.
Share classes, splits and “bonus” claims
The presence of Class A and Class B shares is not itself a stock split. The reviewed declarations establish a cash payment for both classes; they do not announce a new 2026 or 2027 stock split. This guide therefore supplies no invented bonus ratio or share-distribution date. A genuine new action would require a separate announcement specifying its terms.
If a company were to conduct a hypothetical 2-for-1 split, the same ownership would be represented by twice as many shares at half the theoretical per-share price. Future per-share dividends would need a consistent adjustment for comparison. A larger share count alone is not more economic ownership, and it should not be promoted as a cash-income windfall.
Frequently asked questions
Is Meta’s verified rate $0.55?
No. The September declaration states $0.525 per share.
Are the September dividends already paid?
Their payable date is September 28, after this guide’s September 13 research cutoff.
Continue your research
Read our Meta operating outlook for the wider business context, or compare our September dividend research. A dividend is one part of total return, not protection against a fall in the share price.
LiveTodayStock editorial research. Educational information, not personalized investment advice. Cash examples are gross, exclude taxes and fees, and assume the specified shares qualified for each distribution. Future dividends require board approval.