Bangkok--20 Mar--SET
Three hundred-fifty seven firms listing on The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) and the Market Alternative Investment (mai) announced 2012 dividend payment of a combined THB 341.41 billion (approx. USD 11.38 billion), nearly reaching the historic high level, with dividends of Banking, Commerce, Food & Beverage, Health Care Services, and Insurance sectors rising for the fifth consecutive year.
SET Executive Vice President and President of mai, Chanitr Charnchainarong, said: “2012 performance of listed companies recovered strongly from 2011’s flooding crisis and rose to a new record high. With good liquidity management and robust capital structures, the companies were able to pay good dividends despite higher capital expenditure, and some companies paid in the form of stock dividends. It is clear that business involving the country’s consumption and investment still gave continuously higher dividends with continuous growth. Excluding a special interim dividend payment of Total Access Communication pcl (DTAC) in 2011 when it paid THB 39 billion for capital restructuring, we have found that 2012 dividend payments made historic highs for the fifth consecutive year.”
As of March 15, 2013, the 357 companies paying dividends included 300 SET-listed firms with dividends worth THB 339.07 billion and 57 mai-listed firms with dividends worth THB 2.34 billion. These payouts generated a 2012 dividend yield of 2.77 percent and payout ratio of 47.02 percent. In addition, 52 firms gave stock dividends worth a total THB 8.88 billion based on par value, or THB 106.08 billion based on market prices. Constituents in the SET High Dividend 30 Index (SETHD) paid 2012 dividends worth THB 129.92 billion, giving a 3.15 percent dividend yield. The SET-listed firms which paid the highest dividends, in descending order, were PTT pcl (PTT), Advanced Info Service pcl (ADVANC), PTT Exploration and Production pcl (PTTEP), PTT Global Chemical pcl (PTTGC), and Siam Commercial Bank pcl (SCB), representing 35.79 percent of SET's total dividends, by value. The mai-listed firms which paid the highest dividends, in descending order, were: Energy Earth pcl (EARTH), Unimit Engineering pcl (UEC), Kiattana Transport pcl (KIAT), Goldfine Manufacturers pcl (GFM), and The Brooker Group pcl (BROOK). Their total dividends accounted for 31.62 percent of mai's total dividends. By sector, the top five dividend payments were to be found, in descending order by valuation, in Energy & Utilities, the Information & Communication Technology, Banking, Petrochemicals and Chemicals, and Property Development sectors. There are more listed companies considering paying 2012 dividends.
For more information, please visit www.set.or.th or S-E-T Call Center 0 22229 2222.