Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Helmerich & Payne's dividend payments per share have declined at 3.9% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring. Helmerich & Payne is a rare case where dividends have been decreasing at the same time as earnings per share have been improving. It's unusual to see, and could point to unstable conditions in the core business, or more rarely an intensified focus on reinvesting profits.