Quoted companies generous towards shareholders

In the first three quarters of 2007, companies quoted on the stock exchange paid their shareholders over 25 billion euro – nearly 5 percent of the total market value – both in dividend and through the purchase of shares.

Over the first nine months of 2007, quoted companies paid out nearly 18 billion euro in dividend, more than in the entire year 2006.
Since last year, quoted companies are under increasing pressure to buy their own shares and to return surplus cash to shareholders. Last year, the amount involved was 12 billion euro. Over the first nine months of 2007, shareholders cashed nearly 7.5 billion euro.

Cash returns quoted companies