Of the largest companies on the Helsinki stock exchange, some 86 percent plan to recommend dividend payments at least as high as those for the 2012 financial year.
Some 48 percent of those companies will report a loss or smaller profit for 2013. Nordnet expects dividends paid by the 25 largest companies listed in Helsinki to grow as a proportion of total profit. Nordnet warns that the growth of dividends is deceptive, as it does not reflect the underlying strength of the companies.
One possible reason for the growth in dividends is the lack of suitable investments for companies. With nowhere for the cash to go, more of it is returned to shareholders.
The best dividend payers compared to 2012 are Neste Oil, Nordea and Sampo. In 2012 some 8.5 billion euros were paid in dividends, while the sum due for last year (and decided at AGMs this spring) could top 10 billion euros. The final figure will be affected by how much Nokia decides to shell out—the former mobile giant has not yet indicated what it plans to pay.
