No, not every shareholder automatically receives a dividend. Dividend payments are declared at the discretion of a company's board of directors, who must first determine that the company has sufficient earnings and cash flow to justify a payout. Even in companies that have a history of paying dividends, the board may choose to suspend, reduce, or omit payments based on financial performance or strategic needs. Furthermore, dividends are typically only paid to "shareholders of record" who hold the stock before the ex-dividend date; if you purchase shares after this date, you will not receive the upcoming dividend payment.