2020 will be a shortened dividend season, devoid of some of the bigwigs that in past years have given many satisfactions to the shareholders. Above all, the banks and (some) insurance companies will miss the appointment with the coupons that by answering the ECB recommendations and Ivass have decided to suspend the payment of their dividend and postpone it - perhaps - to the last quarter of the year, i.e. to a period in which the coronavirus emergency will finally be behind us, or so it is hoped, and liquidity remaining in cash may in part be diverted to the wallets of the most loyal members.
In Piazza Affari, the dividend season will begin in April to then continue in May and end, as per tradition, at the end of June. According to calculations, 24 billion euro of coupons should have poured into investors' pockets in these three months, the highest level in recent years. The coronavirus pandemic that has hit Italy and the whole world, forcing many companies to cancel or postpone the dividend, has reduced the estimated figure, bringing it down to 15 billion euros. In fact, among the listed companies that have decided to postpone the dividend are giants of the caliber of Intesa Sanpaolo, Unicredit, Unipol, Pirelli, CNH and so on, while other groups – FCA, Moncler and Tenaris above all – have chosen to stall, postponing their meetings and consequently also the resolutions on dividends to the end of June. Generali has decided on a middle ground ed will pay the dividend in two tranches, the first equal to 50 cents will be paid in May, the second equal to 46 cents will be paid by the end of the year, subject to verification by the Board.
Although the numerous absences therefore make themselves felt, the dividend season which will start on Monday 20 April will in any case be an opportunity to find attractive yields which will make it possible to at least partially recover the losses caused by the stock market crash that began at the end of February with the spread of Covid-19 in our country.
As for the month of April alone, the first detachment is scheduled for Monday 20, while the payment will take place 2 days later, Tuesday 22 April. Among the Ftse Mib companies, to inaugurate the coupon season will be Campari and Ferrari, while the vast majority of blue chips will pay off between May and June.
Let's start from the first: April 20th Campari will detach a coupon of 0,055 cents per share (+10% compared to 0,05 last year), for a total amount of 62.873.172 euro.
As regards the house of Maranello, on April 16 the shareholders' meeting of Ferrari approved the 2019 financial statements and, unlike what was done by CNH which opted to stop the coupon, gave the go-ahead for the distribution of a dividend of 1,13 euro per share, for a total amount of 210 million EUR. The decision to detach the coupon on April 20 reflects “our confidence in the future” and it is also “a reward for our shareholders in these difficult moments,” said the CEO of Ferrari, Louis Camilleri.
Outside the Ftse Mib, April 20th (payment on the 22nd) will be the day of the settlement of the coupon of Piaggio equal to 5,5 euro cents per ordinary share. The interim payment of the same amount has already been paid in September 2019 for a total dividend of 11 euro cents.
On the same day it will detach its dividend of 0,116 euros per share as well Maire Tecnimont which however "considering the current context of health emergency" has decided to pay in three tranches: 0,0116 euros will be paid from 22 April 2020, 0,0348 euros from 30 September 2020 and 0,0696 euros from 30 November 2020.
On April 27th – with payment on the 29th – the following will be disconnected:
- Basic Net: dividend 0,12 euros,
- Carraro: dividend 0,1 euros,
- Saes Gatters: 0,5 euro.
