Today I am running the rule over three FTSE 100 dividend darlings.
Mailing marvel
I am convinced that surging packages volumes should keep sending shareholder payouts at Royal Mail (LSE: RMG) spiralling higher.
Britain’s premier courier has thrown the kitchen sink at restructuring its operations to cater for rising parcels traffic, not to mention compensating with the terminal decline in the letters market. And this is undoubtedly a step in the right direction given the huge potential thrown up by the internet shopping segment — retail orders made online cantered 8.9% higher in March, according to the ONS.
With Royal Mail’s transformation scheme also driving down costs, the City expects earnings to nudge 2% and 3% higher in the years to March 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Consequently the delivery service looks in great shape to keep dividends moving higher. Indeed, a predicted 23.1p per share reward for this year yields an impressive 4.8%, and this moves to 5% for 2018 thanks to an expected 24.2p payout.
Dial in for stunning dividends
With trading conditions in its critical European marketplaces back ‘on the up’, I believe the earnings — and consequently dividend — picture over at Vodafone (LSE: VOD) is improving at a terrific rate.
The telecoms giant has forked out a fortune through its Project Spring organic investment scheme to bolster its voice and data capabilities on the continent, while shrewd acquisitions in the fast-growing ‘quad play’ entertainment arena provide tremendous cross-selling opportunities for Vodafone’s traditional products.
But Vodafone’s cash splurge is not confined to the borders of Europe, with the firm also bolstering its capabilities across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, in response to surging wealth levels in these markets.
Vodafone is expected to return to growth in the year to March 2017 with a 22% earnings uptick. This is anticipated to underpin an 11.5p per share dividend, yielding a market-mashing 5%. And the yield edges to 5.1% next year thanks to an estimated 11.7p payment.
A financial favourite
As new business flows in from across the globe, I reckon Standard Life (LSE: SL) will prove a dividend winner in the near-term and beyond.
The insurance giant saw assets under management nudge 4% higher last year, to £307.4bn, with net inflows across its Institutional and Wholesale businesses more than doubling to £12.6bn. Of this total, some £8.4bn worth of new business came from outside of the UK, with net inflows in the Asia Pacific region tripling during the year.
It comes as little surprise, then, that the City expects Standard Life to see earnings rise 99% in 2016 and 10% next year, a terrific omen for future dividends.
Indeed, a predicted 19.7p per share reward for the current period yields a stunning 5.8%. And an estimated 21.1p dividend for 2017 drives the yield to a fist-pumping 6.2%.
