You don't get anything extra, yes. Only about 50% of stocks pay dividends, which means investors can see the profits of their investments go into increases in the stock price or get paid out directly in the form of dividends. A stock represents a share of ownership of the company which includes the bank account from which dividends are paid, so paying dividends reduces the value of the company. In essence it is just converting something a stockholder already owns into cash in their hand.