Dividend payments expected to hit pre-pandemic highs this year

Shareholder payouts are predicted to reach $1.39 trillion in 2021, according to a new report from British asset manager Janus Henderson.

That figure is just 3% lower than their pre-pandemic peak, but much stronger than anticipated.

Dividend payments were up 26% in the second quarter, to $471.7 billion, over the same period a year ago. This is 6.8% below levels seen in the second quarter of 2019. Janus Henderson projects that dividend payments will return to pre-pandemic highs in the next year.

Additionally, 84% of companies around the world maintained or increased their dividends, compared to the same quarter in 2020. Growth is attributed to companies restarting frozen payouts and issuing higher special dividends due to strong earnings.

The world’s biggest dividend payer is Samsung, distributing $12.2 billion to investors. Other companies in the top five are Nestle, Rio Tinto, Sberbank and Sanofi.

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