Retention Rate

Retention rate

The percentage of present earnings held back or retained by a corporation, or one minus the dividend payout rate. Also called the retention ratio.

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Earnings Retention Ratio

The percentage of a publicly-traded company's post-tax earnings that are not paid in dividends. Most earnings retained are re-invested into the company's operations. Tracking year-on-year earnings retention ratios is important to fundamental analysis to investigate whether a company is increasing or decreasing its rate of re-investment. The earnings retentions ratio is calculated thusly:

Earnings retention ratio = (Net income - dividends) / Net income

For example, a company with a net income of $10 million that pays out $3.5 million in dividends has an earnings retention ratio of (10 million - 3.5 million) / 10 million = 65%. It is also called simply the retention ratio.

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retention rate

The proportion of net income that is not paid in dividends. A firm earning $80 million after taxes and paying dividends of $20 million has a retention rate of $60 million/$80 million, or 75%. A high retention rate makes it more likely a firm's income and dividends will grow in future years. Also called earnings retention ratio, plowback ratio.