A dividend does not occur until the Board approves it. If there is no profit, usually companies will not declare a dividend, although I've heard of a few that will borrow the money for one quarter because they are certain that profits will return to normal in the near future. If 2008-2009 taught us anything, it is not to count on dividends as a 100% certainty. A lot of weaker companies curtailed dividends then.
The listed dividend is a historical look. It's a good indication of what the payments in the near future will be, but it's not guaranteed. If the company is not doing well the BOD can vote to reduce or eliminate the dividend.
Say a stock was to NOT succeed, and the dividend is 2% of a share price of $75. Does a company just simply NOT pay you the dividend? How does that work? Thank you.
