AJ Bell: FTSE dividends set to have second best year ever

£114bn return to shareholders

FTSE 100 dividends are set to deliver £114bn in returns to shareholders in 2022, making it the second-best year on record for returns from the index.

New data from AJ Bell revealed that along with the £32.7bn in share buybacks already announced, the firm expects £81.2bn in dividends by the end of the year, as the FTSE 100's net profits are now expected to hit a record high of £169.7bn in 2022. However, these estimates even leave nine months of room for additional dividend increases, special dividends and share buybacks to be announced (of which there were £5.8 billion in 2021). Rio Tinto is set to be the index's single biggest dividend payer this year with £7.4bn, while Persimmon is expected to be the highest-yielding stock at 11.2...