Freebase (1.00 / 1 vote) Rate this definition: Dividend. Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business, or it can be distributed to shareholders.
short list [BACK TO TOP] Meaning: A list of applicants winnowed from a longer list who have been deemed suitable and from which the successful person will be chosen
By Investopedia Staff. First, let's describe what short selling means when you purchase shares of stock. In purchasing stocks, you buy a piece of ownership in the company. The buying and selling of stocks can occur with a stock broker or directly from the company.hort selling is the selling of a stock that the seller doesn't own. More specifically, a short sale is the sale of a security that isn't owned by the seller, but that is promised to be delivered. That may sound confusing, but it's actually a simple concept. (To learn more, read Benefit From Borrowed Securities .).