Meta Platforms' (NASDAQ: META) new $0.50 per-share dividend isn't going to turn any heads among investors seeking big yields. What likely caught Wall Street's attention though was that the company amended its capital return program alongside its blowout fourth-quarter earnings release to add $50 billion to its share repurchase authorization.

With the share price climbing as high as $485 the day after it reported earnings, the annual dividend yield amounts to a paltry 0.41%. That's not going to get most dividend investors very excited about buying shares in the big tech company.

But dividend investors shouldn't overlook Meta's decision to initiate a dividend just because the yield is extremely low. In fact, the dividend may be one of the most important things to come out of Meta's earnings report for long-term investors.

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Source Fool.com