UK dividend payouts soar in Q2

UK firms made the largest cash payout this quarter since 2008, Capita Registrar's latest dividend report has shown.

Dividends climbed 27% year-on-year to £19.1bn for the three months to June, a significant improvement on Q1 results which showed a rise of 10.3% or £15bn, and the fifth consecutive quarterly rise. Much of the growth was attributed to the success of miners, which have seen their profits boosted by rising commodity prices. Payouts from the mining sector increased fourfold, from £491m in Q2 of 2010 to £1.85bn this year. The largest effect on the total came from the £540m special dividend from Antofagasta, equivalent to 61p per share, and a £360m distribution from Anglo American, the firs...