Dividends for Foreigners
Foreign investors will receive nearly 9 trillion won (US$8.0 billion) in dividends for last year from listed Korean companies.
According to WISEfn Corporation, a Korean financial information company on February 18, 21.18 trillion won (US$19.0 billion) will be paid as cash dividends for last year by 503 listed Korean companies with foreign equity holders which settle accounts in December and made public disclosures by February 8.84 trillion won (US$7.95) which is 41.74 percent of the dividends will be paid to foreign investors.
Foreign investors will receive 6.73 trillion won (US$6.0 billion) of 16.96 trillion (US$15.2 billion) in dividends after the settlement of accounts excluding intermediate dividends. This corresponds to 39.71 percent of the total.
This percentage eclipses 35.40 percent and 11.48 percent, the proportions of the market capitalization of shares held by foreigners at the Korea Stock Exchange and the KOSDAQ Market.
By securities markets, 244 listed companies at the KOSPI market and 259 listed companies at the KOSDQ Market will pay 8.71 trillion won (US$7.8 billion) and 131.7 billion won (US$118.5 million), respectively, in dividends to foreign investors.
Considering that there are listed companies whose dividend volume has yet to be determined, the amount of dividends to foreign investors is likely to further expand.
By company, Samsung Electronics will pay 2.73 trillion won (US$2.45 billion), the highest amount, in dividends to foreign shareholders and the KB Financial Group, 532 billion won (US$478 million), the second highest, in dividends to foreign shareholders. The two will be followed by the Shinhan Financial Group (473.5 billion won or US$426 million), Hyundai Motor (374.6 billion won or US$337 million), POSCO (320 billion won or US$288 million), the Hana Financial Group (339.3 billion won or US$305 million) and SK Hynix (335.6 billion won or US$302 million).