Key Points
For 127 years, General Mills has paid a dividend without interruption.
The dividend currently yields 6.8%, with a quarterly payout of $0.61.
Despite those payouts and a high yield, the stock has slumped 21% in 2026.
General Mills (NYSE: GIS) can't brag that it's a Dividend King, as it hasn't increased its dividend payout for 50 or more consecutive years. That said, it still has something to boast about, as it has paid a dividend for 127 consecutive years. On top of that, the cereal maker's dividend yield sits at an attractive 6.8% as of this writing.
With a reliable payout and such a high yield, it appears to be a favorable income generator on the surface. Today, we'll look at how much a $5,000 investment would yield in yearly dividend payouts, and why there's more to consider before investing in the stock than just the high yield alone.
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A high yield masking a sales slump
We'll run through a little math here to set the stage for what to expect in yearly dividend payouts. On Nov. 5, General Mills opened at $36.40 per share, and a $5,000 investment would yield roughly 137 shares. General Mills has an annual dividend of $2.44, which equals a quarterly payout of $0.61.With those 137 shares, the annual dividend payout would be about $334, or around $83 per quarter.
On the surface, that doesn't sound like a bad deal, as the average savings account interest rate in the United States in October was 0.3%, according to research from The Motley Fool. Still, even with General Mills' dividends yielding 6.8%, there's more to consider than just the yield and the company's 127 years of uninterrupted payouts.
The consumer food and pet food brand conglomerate is dealing with slowing sales as it tries to catch up to changing consumer preferences. For fiscal 2026, full-year revenue of $18.4 billion was down 5% from the prior-year period. The company is working to shift away from processed-heavy foods to meet changing consumer preferences, adding more protein to some of its offerings and removing certified coloring from others. But it's still a work in progress. The stock price reflects the company's struggles, as it's down 21% thus far in 2026.
Even with the constant dividend payouts and favorable yield, I would be comfortable avoiding General Mills for the time being. If the stock price continues to decline, it will just start cutting into those dividend payouts even more, limiting total return potential. Instead, for those still seeking reliable dividend payouts alongside positive stock price return potential, I would look more toward Kimberly-Clark, Procter & Gamble, or Coca-Cola.
Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.