The Board of Directors of Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) has approved the distribution of a €50 million interim dividend charged to the 2006 consolidated results, which represents € 0,598 per share, an increase of 105% in respect to the 2005 interim dividend.
This dividend payment will be effective before January 30 2007. In the past the interim dividend paid by BME has usually accounted for approximately half the total ordinary dividend.
Over the course of the last 4 years, BME has distributed € 459.2 million in ordinary and extraordinary dividends. Its annual payout, that is, the percentage of profits paid by the company as dividends, has been much higher than that of other European sector companies.
The equity turnover posted by the Spanish stock exchange through November reached a record high at over € 1 trillion. Such business areas integrated into BME as fixed income, derivatives and clearing and settlement posted similar positive performances.
BME’s net profit in the first 9 months of the year came in at € 92.15 million, 22.9% up on the € 74.98 million posted during the same period in 2005, thus consolidating the positive earnings trend shown by the Group so far.
Antonio Zoido, Chairman of BME, said: “2006 has been an excellent year for the Spanish stock markets, which, allied to BME’s tight cost controls, will allow the company to pass the rewards of good management on to shareholders as well as maintaining a dividend policy that contributes to a satisfactory shareholder remuneration”.
“Our goal, as a public company, is systematically to improve our fundamentals as well as generating sustainable, long-lasting returns. One of the best ways of achieving this target is by remunerating shareholders with dividends. The considerable increase approved today is consistent with the company’s financial policy and its working capital requirements”, said Javier Hernani, BME Finance Director.
