Cisco Systems Dividend Yield Pushes Past 3%

Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, in trading on Thursday, shares of Cisco Systems (NASD: CSCO) were yielding above the 3% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $0.76), with the stock changing hands as low as $25.22 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased share...