Listed firms raise cash payout despite crisis

DESPITE the current economic slowdown, listed companies raised the amount they paid out to stockholders at the end of the first quarter this year, based on data released by the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

Data from the local bourse showed that the cash distribution portion of firms’ earnings inched up four percent to P223 billion in the four quarters ending March this year from P214.2 billion in the same period last year.

The higher dividends reflected an increase in the profits that listed companies chose to share with their respective shareholders.

Out of 245 companies with listed common shares, 90 firms declared cash payouts, representing 37 percent of all listed firms.

The latest figure is an increase from the same period a year ago, when 80 out of 244 listed companies declared cash dividends.

Cash dividends are a portion of the corporation’s earnings or accumulated profits paid to stockholders.

The average dividend yield for all listed companies also rose to 6.32 percent at end-March this year from 3.53 percent last year.

The dividend yield represents the indicative return from investing in stocks, assuming prices were unchanged.

With respect to specific sectors, the financials sector, which consists of banks, remittance and rein-surance firms as well as the PSE, accounted for 50 percent of total dividend declarations at P111.668 billion, up 2 percent from P109.616 billion the previous year.

The services sector, made up of telecommunications, TV, information technology-oriented as well as leisure and gaming firms, made up 32 percent of total dividend announcements during the period at P70.9 billion, higher by 16 percent from P61.2 billion a year ago.

The industrial sector, composed of food and beverage firms, utility and power generation companies as well as other manufacturing firms, paid P24.4 billion in dividends, up 11 percent from P21 billion.

The industrial sector accounted for 11 percent of total dividend payout.

Companies in the property sector declared P7.58 billion in total dividends last year from P6.85 billion the previous year.

Holding firms, small and medium enterprises and the mining and oil sectors, however, saw their total dividend declarations decrease from the previous year.  –Chino S. Leyco, Reporter, Manila Times