Glossary
Debt/Capital Ratio

A measurement of a company's financial leverage, calculated as the company's debt divided by its total capital. The ratio gives an idea of a company’s financial structure and tells investors how the company finances its operations. A high debt to capital ratio means that a company has more debt than equity, which may increase its chances of default.

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs

Generally used in the insurance industry, this is when a company defers the sales costs that are associated with acquiring a new customer over the term of the insurance contract.

Depreciation & Amortization

The total expense amount related to amortization and depreciation. Amortization is the decrease in value of an intangible asset (see Intangible Assets) over time while depreciation is the decrease in value of a tangible asset (see Tangible Asset).

Direct Selling Expenses

All expenses that are directly related to the sale of a specific unit such as credit, warranty and advertising expenses.

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Div. Per Share (Most Recent)

The latest dividends paid out divided by the number of outstanding shares.

Divestitures

The partial or full disposal of a business unit through sale, exchange, closure or bankruptcy.

Dividend

A dividend is defined as a payment made by a corporation to its shareholders. Usually these payouts are made in cash (cash dividends), but sometimes companies will also distribute stock dividends, whereby additional stock shares are distributed to shareholders.

Dividend Index

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Dividend Per Share

The dividends paid out over a period of time divided by the number of outstanding shares. This is a TTM figure (see Trailing Twelve Months)

Dividend Per Share (Most Recent)

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Dividend Per Share (Next Ex-Date)

The date by which an investor must purchase the stock to receive the next dividend. Shares bought on or after the ex-dividend date do not come with the right to receive dividend payments.

Dividend Per Share (Next)

The amount per share of the next expected dividend.

Dividend Per Share (Next, Days)

The number of days until the next dividend payment.

Dividend Per Share (TTM)

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Dividend Yield

Dividends paid out each year relative to the share price. Expressed as a percentage and measures how much cash flow an investor is getting for each invested dollar.

This is a TTM figure (see Trailing Twelve Months).

Weiss Ratings