The DPS figure shows how much, in absolute terms, you expect to receive for each share you hold in a given company. For example, if I held stock of a company with a DPS figure of £1, then I would expect to received £1 for the year for each share I held in the company.

Simplistically, the higher the number the better as you will receive more cash each year for each share you hold. However, do note that it is not always optima for a company to pay out as many dividends as possible.

If the company management team believe they have excellent growth opportunities in their business, and that the best return can be had by spending money on investments, then it may be best for a company not to pay out dividends and instead to invest the cash for capital growth.