Firms paid shareholders £301bn in dividends in the third quarter of the year, the highest total ever recorded for the three months to September, according to Janus Henderson.
Dividends are 22% higher than they were over the same period a year ago, supported by rising profits and strong balance sheets. Globally, 90% of companies either raised their dividends or held them steady. The surge in shareholder payouts has been driven by bumper payouts from mining companies, which have distributed more money in the third quarter alone than they did in the whole of 2019, which was the highest year for them on record. BHP will be the world's biggest dividend payer in 2021. The banking sector also made a significant contribution, mainly because many regulators have li...
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