BBY Strategies offers model portfolios built around buyback yield — the missing dimension of equity income that most investors overlook.
Both strategies screen the S&P 500 for companies with meaningful, consistent shareholder returns — combining dividend yield and buyback yield into a single total yield framework. The result is a portfolio that has historically outperformed the broad market and high-dividend benchmarks alike.
S&P 500 companies that have maintained a buyback yield above 1% in at least 4 of the last 5 years — comparable in spirit to a dividend achievers approach, applied to total shareholder yield. Market-weight capped at a maximum 10% per position.
Companies that sustain buybacks year after year signal the same financial discipline as dividend achievers — strong free cash flow, conservative management, and a commitment to returning capital. This consistency-first screen filters for businesses with the durability to maintain shareholder returns through economic cycles, not just during peak earnings.
S&P 500 companies that have posted positive buyback yields in at least 2 of the last 3 years, then filtered to the top 50% by combined dividend and buyback yield. Market-weight capped at a maximum 10% per position.
Companies that consistently return the most total capital to shareholders — through dividends and buybacks combined — tend to be those with genuine capital efficiency and limited need for speculative reinvestment. By screening for total yield rather than dividends alone, this strategy agnostically includes businesses that prioritize returning profits to shareholders through buybacks or dividends.
Past performance is not indicative of future results. Returns shown are based on a 20-year backtest of rules-based index screens applied to the S&P 500. Yield figures are current estimates and subject to change.
Over the last four decades, dividend yields across public equities have declined significantly. But total shareholder returns have not collapsed — because companies have steadily replaced dividends with share buybacks. For investors who measure equity income only by dividend yield, this shift has made income investing look increasingly difficult.
Pro rata participation in a share buyback is functionally identical to receiving a dividend. You keep the same ownership percentage and receive a cash payout. Buyback yield is equity income.
When a company repurchases shares, investors who sell their proportional share receive cash while maintaining the same ownership stake in the business — the defining characteristic of a dividend. The cash flow is real; only the mechanism differs. Ignoring buyback yield in an equity income strategy is like measuring a company's profitability while ignoring half its revenue.
Index funds already participate in buybacks automatically when they rebalance. The BBY Strategies approach simply makes this yield explicit — harvesting it as income rather than silently reinvesting it, and screening specifically for companies with durable, consistent shareholder return programs.
The following shows both BBY strategies' current total yields, broken out between their dividend yield and buyback yield components.
Dividend and buyback yield split is estimated. Actual allocation varies by quarter.
Dividend and buyback yield split is estimated. Actual allocation varies by quarter.
Our strategies are built for RIAs seeking differentiated equity income approaches that can outperform traditional dividend-only mandates without concentrating into an ever-shrinking pool of high-yield payers.
Both strategies have outperformed the S&P 500 over 20-year backtested periods.
Total yield captures dividends and buybacks together — reflecting how companies actually return capital today.
Give clients access to a strategy they won't find elsewhere.
Delivered as quarterly model rebalancing spreadsheets via a model licensing agreement. No complex infrastructure.
We work with RIAs on a model licensing basis. Reach out to learn more about our strategies and how they integrate with your existing SMA infrastructure.
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