FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - According to calculations by Dekabank, shareholders of German companies can expect a record amount of dividends for the 2023 financial year. The 40 companies in the German share index will therefore pay out a total of 54.6 billion euros. This would exceed the previous year's figure in the Dax by 1.6 billion euros. At that time, the special dividend paid by the car manufacturer Volkswagen for the successful IPO of its subsidiary Porsche was not included in the calculations.

Deka capital market expert Joachim Schallmayer categorized the current figures in a press release issued by the Wertpapierhaus der Sparkassen on Tuesday, stating that the companies had succeeded in maintaining their profits at a high level despite the sluggish economy and the negative impact of geopolitical crises.

Further increase in distributions expected

As things stand at present, 26 of the 40 companies in Germany's premier stock market league are likely to increase their dividend per share for the past financial year compared to the previous year. An unchanged dividend is expected for 11 DAX companies, while Bayer, BMW and Fresenius are likely to pay out less money to shareholders than in the previous year, according to Dekabank's compilation. In total, the three major car manufacturers BMW, Mercedes and VW alone pay out around a quarter of the total dividend amount of all DAX companies.

For the current financial year, Dekabank expects a further increase in dividends in the Dax to 58.5 billion euros. "Thanks to their international orientation, companies will succeed in 2024 in decoupling themselves from the challenging domestic outlook, benefiting from the global growth outlook and increasing profits once again," predicted Schallmayer.

More dividends overall in the MDax too

According to the calculations, the 50 companies listed on the MDax will pay a total dividend of around EUR 7.1 billion for 2023, a good seven percent more than for the previous financial year. Dividend payments are expected to increase for 22 companies, while the dividend per share should remain unchanged for 20 and the remaining 8 MDax companies are likely to make cuts./ben/DP/mis