Bangkok--10 Sep--SET
One hundred-sixteen firms listing on The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) and the Market Alternative Investment (mai) a new all-time high interim dividend payment of a combined THB 118.70 billion (approx. USD 3.71 billion), up from THB 117.13 billion a year earlier, reaching above THB 100 billion in interim dividends for the second consecutive year.
The sectors that made record high interim dividend payments are Information and Communication Technology, Banking, Health Care Services, Commerce, and Food and Beverage.
“Although overall first-half net earnings of listed companies dropped from a year earlier due to volatility of commodity prices and foreign exchange, the value of interim dividend payments continued to increase, reaching a new record high. The rise in dividends was from sectors benefiting from strong growth of domestic consumption and investment,” said SET President Charamporn Jotikasthira.
As of September 4, 2012, the 116 companies paying dividends for the six months of 2012 (excluding property funds) included 99 SET-listed firms, with dividends worth THB 118.21 billion, plus 17 mai-listed firms with dividends worth THB 493 million. The total payout ratio from SET- and mai-listed companies combined was at 42.48 percent, up from 37.37 percent a year earlier.
In addition to their interim dividend payments, three companies paid stock dividends for the first half of this year, namely, DSG International (Thailand) pcl (DSGT), Home Product Center pcl (HMPRO), and Nippon Pack (Thailand) pcl (NIPPON), for a total value of THB 1.54 billion.
The SET-listed firms which paid the highest dividends, in descending order, are: Advanced Info Service pcl (ADVANC), PTT pcl (PTT), Shin Corporation pcl (INTUCH), PTT Exploration and Production pcl (PTTEP), and Siam Cement pcl (SCC) with an aggregate interim dividend of THB 58.64 billion, representing 49.61 percent of SET's total interim dividends by value.
The mai-listed firms which paid the highest dividends, in descending order, are: Unimit Engineering pcl (UEC), Kiattana Transport pcl (KIAT), Jubilee Enterprise pcl (JUBILE), (BROOK), and (MACO). Their total payout was THB 244 million, accounting for 49.39 percent of mai's total dividends.
The sectors with the highest dividend payments are, in descending order by valuation, Information & Communication Technology, Energy & Utilities, Banking, Construction Materials, and Food and Beverage sectors, with a combined divided of THB 99.66 billion, or 83.95 percent of the total interim dividends.
There are more listed companies considering paying interim dividends. For more information, please visit www.set.or.th or S-E-T Call Center 0 22229 2222.