ABU DHABI 11 March 2019: A total of 113 listed public joint stock companies distributed Dh32 bn in dividends for 2018, according to data released by the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market.
The largest across the GCC and Mena region, the increased dividends reflect the growth in foreign capital invested in key listed Emirati companies.
In further detail, 18 UAE banks distributed Dh18.7bn, a growth of 12.2 percent from Dh16.66bn for 2017, accounting for 53.7 percent of the total dividends announced by the companies listed in the country’s two main bourses for 2018, said Wam.
UAE Banks secured profits of Dh42bn, with FAB topping the list of best performing banks with dividends exceeding Dh8bn, and net profits of Dh12bn.
At the telecommunications sector, dividends totalled Dh8.54bn against Dh8.5bn in 2017, with consumer services posting Dh1.7bn, realty sector Dh1.1bn, insurance sector Dh568 million and Dh348 million at the construction platform.
The financing and investment sector distributed Dh268 million in dividends, followed by the industry sector, Dh272 million, hospitality sector, Dh130 million and finally Dh107 million by the health sector.
