The figures, which were published on Wednesday, reveal that the amounts paid to shareholders increased by 5.6 percent compared to those recorded in 2022, and 15 percent compared to the year 2019.
The study includes the 1,200 largest companies by market capitalization, representing 85 percent of dividends paid worldwide.
From the United States to France, Germany and Indonesia, 22 countries recorded record numbers this year with a clear increase in dividends, especially in Europe, which amounted to 17.6 percent.
For the first time since the start of the study, two groups from the technology sector are at the top of the list in terms of profits redistributed to shareholders, namely Microsoft, whose profits rose by more than 10 percent, and Apple.
As of 2014, no technology company ranked in the top ten.
The raw materials sector is still strong, but a number of companies have made “significant reductions” to reflect their profits, such as the Brazilian “Petropas”, which ranked second in the volume of profits it distributed to shareholders in 2022, but is not present among the top twenty companies in 2023.
The mining company BHP, which ranked first in 2021 and 2022, fell to sixth place.
ExxonMobil and PetroChina ranked in the top five, while Chevron ranked eleventh.
However, the report said that “about half of the increase in stock dividends around the world came in 2023 from banks,” noting that this is linked to sector profits resulting from the increase in interest rates.
Ben Lofthouse, who supervised the writing of the report, wrote, “Pessimism about the global economy turned out to be unfounded in 2023, and corporate cash flow in most sectors remained solid,” which helped fuel profits.
The consulting group expects continued growth in 2024, with an increase in profits that may reach 3.9 percent.
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