The Chairman of the SET's Capital Market Opportunity Center, Ms. Sopawadee Lertmanaschai, announced that 184 listed companies on both the SET and the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) have announced their dividend payments for 2002, valued at THB 54,188.12 million. The company paying the highest dividend was Thai Wah Food Products Plc (TWFD), at as much as 44.8%. 105 listed companies gave out dividends exceeding 7 %, 27 of which paid out dividends at more than 12%.
"If we compare returns for 2002 for a period of 1 year, dividends from investment in ordinary shares is clearly higher than interest earned from money deposited in a bank account. When compared to investing in one-year debentures of private companies which yield a return of 9.61 % (including interest and the profit from the difference in share prices) ,as many as fifty-three listed companies delivered higher returns through their dividend payments. Therefore, investment in shares yielding high returns in the form of dividend payments is another attractive choice to increase one's investment return. This is especially true at times like this, when banks' interest rate are low," Ms. Sopawadee said.
In terms of earning performance, 165 listed companies from twenty-four sectors posted returns in the form of dividends at a higher rate in 2002 than commercial banks' 12-month fixed deposit rate. The top five sectors that posted the highest dividends were Household Goods at 12.98%, Professional Services at 10.67%, Warehouses at 10.11%, Electronic Components at 9.88%, and Insurance at 9.45%.
The top 5 listed companies posting the highest dividend are Thai Wah Food Products Plc (TWFP), Amata Corporation Plc (AMATA), Fancy Wood Industries Plc (FANCY), Syn Mun Kong Insurance Plc (SMK), and Dynasty Ceramic Plc (DCC) "However, it should be noted that these industries posting high dividend payments are not ones popular among investors. Therefore, if investors shift their focus to these sectors and make their investment decisions carefully based on the available information, they will be suitably rewarded with high returns," the Chairman of the Fund-raising Center concluded.
