Filed Under: ,  Since stockholders are entitled to a company's
assets and earnings, can a stockholder realize profits without
selling stocks?  When buying stock in a company, an investor
becomes a part owner of that company. In addition to possessing
the small degree of voting power that comes with being a
stockholder, an investor is entitled to a portion of the
company's assets and earnings. However, this does not
necessarily guarantee that an investor will make money without
selling an appreciated stock.  Receiving a cash dividend is one
of the few ways that an investor can receive a share of the
company's earnings without liquidating his or her position. Keep
in mind, however, that companies tend to issue dividends when
they are mature and do not have many good growth opportunities
in which to invest. Therefore, companies that are currently in a
growth phase tend to reinvest most, if not all, of their
earnings back into new projects, leaving investors with no way
of taking cash out of their investments oth