Why General Mills’ (GIS) Long Dividend Record Still Leaves Investors With Current-Year Taxable Income

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) is one of the dividend stocks picked by financial media as investors ask whether dividend stocks are tax-efficient. On July 1, General Mills reported fiscal fourth-quarter results and said its board declared a quarterly dividend at the prevailing rate of $0.61 per share, payable August 3 to shareholders of record on July 10. The company also said General Mills and its predecessor company have paid dividends without interruption for 127 years.

The tax angle is not that a high-yield food stock avoids taxes. A regular corporate dividend can generally qualify for preferential dividend tax treatment when holding-period rules are met, but the cash still becomes taxable income when received. That makes General Mills a useful example of the tradeoff. The distribution has a simpler tax structure than many pass-through income vehicles, but a larger cash yield can also create more current-year taxable income than a lower-yield stock that returns more value through price appreciation or buybacks.

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General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) manufactures and markets branded consumer foods, including meals, cereal, snacks, yogurt, baking products, and pet food.

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