Global companies paid record dividends in the second quarter of 2022

Dividends are skyrocketing. Global companies paid out record sums during the second quarter of 2022. They are thus redistributing to their shareholders the colossal profits of the past year, according to the quarterly report by Janus Henderson published on Wednesday August 24.

“Stunningly, despite the huge economic disruption caused by the pandemic, global dividends are now above the record high they reached before the pandemic.“, highlights the report. With $ 544.8 billion between April and June paid out in dividends, the 1,200 companies studied by the asset manager have on average distributed 11% more money than during the same period last year.

This increase is taking place even though the appreciation of the greenback in recent months has mechanically lowered the value of the amounts paid by companies outside the United States, all dividends being converted into dollars in the study for to be able to make comparisons. Excluding currency effects and extraordinary payments, growth was 19.1%. It is even nearly 30% in Europe and the United Kingdom.

Growth is strongest in the commodities, financials and car manufacturers sectors. In the top 10 of the most generous companies, we find the Brazilian oil company Petrobras (1st), the Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto (3rd), the German group Mercedes-Benz (5th), but also the French bank BNP Paribas (6th ) and the German insurer Allianz (8th). But all companies are affected by the trend: 94% of them have maintained or increased their payments. For the year 2022, Janus Henderson estimates that the increase should be 6% compared to 2021.