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Emirates Business
To the tune of AED39 billion in cash dividends have been paid out by listed Emirati companies for their stockholders for the year 2018.
The generous cash distributions, which earn the UAE companies the lead over other Middle East-based firms in terms of dividend payouts, are reflective of the high-yield stocks traded in the country’s two main bourses — Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the Dubai Financial Market, primarily the banking, real estate and the telecommunications shares.
According to the official figures, the 2018 cash distributions grew 21.8 percent from AED33 billion in 2017, with banks getting the lion’s share of AED19.917 billion, which accounts for as much as 48.5 percent of the total cash dividends paid out by all the listed national firms.
The average annual investment return on the listed banks stood at 4.89 percent, with free-flowing shares’ cash distributions valued at AED 10.131 billion.
The telecom came second with AED8.544 billion against AED8.5 billion in 2017.
On real estate sector, cash dividends amounted to AED 4.254 billion; AED1.688 billion on the services sector; AED1661 billion on the transportation & logistics sector; AED1.431 billion on the leisure & hospitality; and an amount of AED 702 million on the investment and financing, with the remaining value of dividends distributed on other listed sectors.