Samsung Electronics may raise 2014 dividend by up to 50% vs 2013

[SEOUL] South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co said on Friday it's considering lifting its 2014 dividend payout by up to 50 per cent, its latest attempt to boost its share price in a year plagued by disappointing earnings.

The world's No 1 smartphone maker said in a regulatory filing that it is actively considering a "special increase" in dividend of between 30 per cent and 50 per cent. Its board will decide the year-end dividend amount in January, and seek approval at its annual shareholder meeting, set for March.

The announcement comes amid mounting pressure for the tech giant to return more capital to investors as it heads for its worst annual profit in three years, crimped by a falling share of the global smartphone market.

Explaining its move, the company said it wants to increase shareholder value, as well as contribute to revitalising the South Korean economy.

The firm's stock has recovered from a multi-year low hit in October, thanks in part to the company's November announcement of a US$2 billion share buyback plan. But shares are still down 3.2 per cent for the year. "The company didn't have much excuse not to increase dividends when it's sitting on 60 trillion won (US$55 billion) worth of cash ... this will help share prices remain stable around current levels," said HDC Asset Management fund manager Park Jung-hoon. He expects the year-end dividend payout to be close to 20,000 won per share.

Samsung Electronics said in January this year that it would significantly increase dividend payouts in 2014, though in July it kept the interim dividend unchanged from a year earlier. The firm's total 2013 dividend payout was about 2.2 trillion won, including a year-end dividend of 13,800 won per common share.

Shares in the tech firm closed up 4.9 per cent on Friday, outperforming a 1.7 per cent rise for the broader market due to hopes for an earnings recovery and bigger dividends.

REUTERS