Getty Images / Spencer Platt S&P 500 companies have returned a record $1 trillion to shareholders over the past year. The dividend and buyback surge has been helped by corporate tax cuts introduced by Republicans. Earnings per share of S&P 500 companies surged 26% in the March quarter. SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - S&P 500 companies have returned a record $1 trillion to shareholders over the past year, helped by a recent surge in dividends and stock buybacks following sweeping corporate tax cuts introduced by Republicans, a report on Friday showed. In the 12 months through March, S&P 500 companies paid out $428 billion in dividends and bought up $573 billion of their own shares, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices analyst Howard Silverblatt.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderSee Also:Trump administration opposes requiring 'reasonable' airline baggage feesLawyer gets eight years in U.S.