Vedanta to pay US$932 million in dividend to help parent cut debt

INDIAN tycoon Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta approved a third tranche of dividend payout, its latest effort to improve the financial position of its indebted London-based mining parent.

The Mumbai-based miner will pay an additional US$932 million dividend, according to a statement to exchanges. This takes its total payout for the year ending March to 134.75 billion rupees (S$2.09 billion).

Vedanta Resources, which has been burdened by a heavy debt load amassed due to a string of acquisitions, reduced its dues by US$4.5 billion in the last two years. It seeks to further repay US$3 billion over the next three years with an eye on improving its liquidity.  

As a result of the measures, S&P Global Ratings upgraded the firm’s rating in July saying the company had adequate internal funds to meet debt maturities due by end-2025. 

The date for the dividend payment has been set to Sept 10.

The group is also splitting Indian unit Vedanta into six listed companies, giving investors direct exposure to a business of their choice and in turn improve the value of the group’s component parts. BLOOMBERG