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Edison International (EIX) owns the utility Southern California Edison and passes a portion of its collected cash to shareholders as dividends. Over the past year, those payouts added about 5.6 percentage points to the stock’s return. The share price itself has lagged well behind the S&P 500. So, with every dividend counted, what do you think an Edison holder made over five years, next to the market?
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How Far Has Edison Stock Trailed The Market?
Measured on price alone, Edison stock rose 1.4% over the five years to October 21, 2026, while the S&P 500 rose 77.6%. That puts Edison 76.3 percentage points behind the market. Anyone watching only the share price saw five years of standing still while the broader market pulled far ahead.
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How Much Did Edison’s Dividends Add?
With dividends reinvested, Edison stock returned 29.0% over the same five years. Those distributions contributed 27.6 percentage points to the total, meaning dividends, rather than price appreciation, provided nearly all of an Edison shareholder’s gains.
That exceeds the impact of the market’s own payouts: over the same years, dividends added 11.8 percentage points to the S&P 500’s return.
Did The Dividends Close The Gap For Edison Holders?
Comparing the four five-year returns side by side shows that Edison’s dividends narrow the performance gap without closing it.
Return from Oct 13, 2021 to Oct 21, 2026 On price alone With dividends reinvested The stock +1.4% +29.0% S&P 500 +77.6% +89.5%
Before taxes and costs. The S&P 500 is measured through the SPDR S&P 500 ETF.
Factoring in dividends on both sides, the S&P 500 returned 89.5% over the five years, leaving Edison 60.5 percentage points behind. Because the market paid dividends too, Edison’s distributions closed only about a fifth of the gap.
What This Means If You Own Edison For Income
Over the past year, market dividends added about 1 percentage point to the S&P 500’s return, and Edison’s payouts added nearly six times as much. This illustrates the trade an income holder made: collecting more cash along the way, but realizing a five-year return still far behind the market’s.
Edison generated enough cash from operations to cover its dividend, but capital spending consumed all of that cash and more. Over the four quarters ended June 30, 2026, Edison generated $6.39 billion in cash from operations against $1.31 billion paid in dividends. Management said on the July 30, 2026 call that its plan centers on infrastructure replacement, wildfire mitigation and growing demand for electrification. After capital spending, Edison’s free cash flow over those four quarters was below zero.
For an income holder, the number to watch from here is Edison’s return with dividends against the S&P 500’s return with dividends.
Your Advisor Retired? Get A Second Opinion Before You Settle
For Edison International holders, the dividend checks tell a different story from the price chart. When the advisor who built your plan moves on, it is a natural moment to ask whether the plan still fits the life you have now. Our partner advisory firm offers a free review of your holdings, fees and income plan.
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