How to Get Dividend and Sector Data in Excel Stocks
Question details
The user wants to retrieve Dividend and Sector information using the Excel Stocks data type or the STOCKHISTORY function.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to extract specific financial attributes like dividends and sector classifications for stock analysis and portfolio management in spreadsheets.
- Observed behavior
- The Excel Stocks data type and STOCKHISTORY function do not return Dividend or Sector attributes because the data provider (Refinitiv) currently does not include them.
Verify that your Microsoft 365 subscription is active, as the Stocks data type requires a connected premium account to fetch real-time financial data.
Use Alternative Financial Data Providers or Power BI
Since Excel's native Stocks feature doesn't supply dividend or sector data, using an external tool or alternative data source is the best workaround.
The Stock data and STOCKHISTORY information in Excel are provided by Refinitiv, not Microsoft or Wolfram. Currently, their integration does not expose Dividend or Sector fields. To get this data, you must rely on third-party financial add-ins, web scraping, or advanced business intelligence tools like Power BI.
Open Power BI Desktop and use the 'Get Data' feature to connect to specialized financial APIs or web sources that provide comprehensive stock metrics including sector and dividends.
Navigate to Insert > Get Add-ins and search for financial data providers (like Stock Connector or Yahoo Finance add-ins) that include dividend yield and sector classifications.
Use Data > From Web in Excel to scrape live dividend and sector data directly from reputable financial websites by entering the URL of the stock's summary page.
Manage Your Financial Spreadsheets Seamlessly with WPS Office
While specialized Excel data types like Stocks require premium Microsoft 365 subscriptions, WPS Office provides a lightweight, entirely free alternative for your financial modeling and spreadsheet needs. Enjoy high compatibility with Microsoft Excel formats and a familiar interface without the recurring subscription costs.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website to download the free suite and install it on your device.
- 2. Open Your Financial Documents: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and easily open your existing .xlsx financial tracking files.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who provides the data for Excel's Stock data type?
The financial data for Excel's Stock data type and the STOCKHISTORY function is provided by Refinitiv, not Microsoft or Wolfram. You can check Microsoft's official documentation regarding Stocks financial data sources for more details.
Will Microsoft add dividend data to Excel Stocks in the future?
Microsoft regularly updates its features based on user feedback. Many users have requested dividend and sector data on Microsoft's feedback portals, so submitting your own feedback through Help > Feedback increases the likelihood of it being added in future updates.
Can I use the STOCKHISTORY function to get historical dividends?
No, the STOCKHISTORY function currently only retrieves historical pricing data (such as open, high, low, close, and volume) and does not support retrieving historical dividend payouts.
