3 FTSE Dividends Lifted This Week: Bellway plc, Booker Group Plc And Smiths News Plc

Bellway plc (LON: BWY), Booker Group Plc (LON: BOK) and Smiths News Plc (LON: NWS) are paying more.

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

The FTSE 100 (FTSEINDICES: ^FTSE) is putting in an mildly upbeat Friday, gaining 17 points to 6,593 by late morning to take it up 106 points on the week so far. Over the whole period of the US budget drama, the index of top UK shares is modestly up, showing the pointlessness of the day-to-day panics we’ve been seeing.

One way to minimize the gloom of those panics, of course, is to think of dividends instead of share prices. Here are three from the FTSE indices that would have helped you with that focus this week:

Bellway

Bellway (LSE: BWY), along with the UK’s other housebuilders, has seen its shares soar recently to a 12-month gain of more than 50%. And investors got a further boost on Tuesday in the shape of a 50% dividend increase.

For the year ended 31 July 2013, shareholders are to receive a total payment of 30p per share for a yield of 2% on the current 1,506p share price. That comes after revenue grew by 10.6%, pre-tax profit soared by 33.8%, and earnings per share climbed 36.3% to 89.3p.

Over the year, the company sold 8.2% more homes to reach a total of 5,652, with an average selling price up 3.4% at £193,025.

Booker

Wholesaler Booker Group (LSE: BOK) brought us interim results on Thursday, and they included an 18% boost to the first-half dividend to 0.45p per share. That’s not much at this stage, but the full-year payment should be heavily-weighted towards the second half, and there’s a total of 3p per share being forecast. With the shares at 143p, that would yield 2.2%.

Booker recorded a 0.25p rise in underlying earnings per share (EPS) to 2.73p, after pre-exceptional pre-tax profit climbed 17% to £58.1m.

The shares are on a perhaps heady forward P/E of 26 now, but Booker has delivered strong EPS rises for the past five years and has two more years of double-digit gains currently forecast.

Smiths News

Smiths News (LSE: NWS) is another that has enjoyed a 50% share price rise over the past year, and on Wednesday the firm added a 9.3p-per-share dividend for a rise of 8.1% on last year’s.

The firm reported “revenue growth despite challenging market conditions“, and recorded an 11.6% rise in pre-tax profit with free cash flow up 19.8% to £32.6m.

Despite the share price performance, we’re still looking at a P/E based on forecasts of a modest 9.6%, with a full-year dividend yield of 5.1% predicted.

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

> Alan does not own any shares mentioned in this article. The Motley Fool has recommended shares in Booker Group.

More on Investing Articles

Bus waiting in front of the London Stock Exchange on a sunny day.
Investing Articles

If interest rate cuts are coming, I think these UK growth stocks could soar!

Falling interest could be great news for UK growth stocks, especially those that have been under the cosh recently. Paul…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Are these the best stocks to buy on the FTSE right now?

With the UK stock market on the way to hitting new highs, this Fool is considering which are the best…

Read more »

Petrochemical engineer working at night with digital tablet inside oil and gas refinery plant
Investing Articles

Can the Centrica dividend keep on growing?

Christopher Ruane considers some positive factors that might see continued growth in the Centrica dividend -- as well as some…

Read more »

Smiling family of four enjoying breakfast at sunrise while camping
Investing Articles

How I’d turn my £12,000 of savings into passive income of £1,275 a month

This Fool is considering a strategy that he believes can help him achieve a stable passive income stream with a…

Read more »

Person holding magnifying glass over important document, reading the small print
Investing Articles

2 top FTSE 250 investment trusts trading at attractive discounts!

This pair of discounted FTSE 250 trusts appear to be on sale right now. Here's why I'd scoop up their…

Read more »

Smiling young man sitting in cafe and checking messages, with his laptop in front of him.
Investing Articles

3 things that could push the Lloyds share price to 60p and beyond

The Lloyds share price has broken through 50p. Next step 60p? And then what? Here are some thoughts on what…

Read more »

Young female business analyst looking at a graph chart while working from home
Investing Articles

£1,000 in Rolls-Royce shares a year ago would be worth this much now

Rolls-Royce shares have posted one of the best stock market gains of the past 12 months. But what might the…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Are HSBC shares a FTSE bargain? Here’s what the charts say!

There are plenty of dirt-cheap FTSE 100 banking stocks for investors to choose from today. Our writer Royston Wild believes…

Read more »