The company expects to pay a dividend once a year, in July.
Recognising that tax rates for some of our shareholders would increase from 6 April 2010, the board decided to pay an interim dividend of 3.70p per share on 1 April rather than its traditional final dividend in July. This payment represented our best estimate at the time of a full distribution of net revenue for the year to the end of February 2010 and substitutes for a final dividend. Now that the earnings calculations have been completed it is clear that earnings exceeded this payment by 0.59p. It is proposed to adjust next year's dividend to take account of this sum. At present the board expects that it will revert to paying a final dividend in July 2011.
Note: Shares must be held on the ex-date to become eligible
to the dividend.
Net asset value and dividend history
As at
28/29 February
Share
price
NAV
per share
Discount/
(premium)
Dividend
per share
2010
236.5p
291.1p
18.8%
3.70p
2000
178.8p
210.9p*
15.20%
0.90p
2001
133.8p
161.0p
16.90%
1.00p
2002
112.0p
140.6p
20.30%
1.50p
2003
87.5p
105.1p
16.70%
1.00p
2004
145.0p
155.6p
6.80%
1.40p
2005
165.5p
175.1p
5.50%
1.10p
2006
244.3p
239.5p
-2.00%
1.40p
2007
246.0p
265.6p
7.40%
2.80p
2008
271.3p
300.8p
9.80%
3.10p
2009
169.5p
209.3p
19.00%
3.30p
*This is the diluted net asset value until 30 June 2000 when the warrants expired. From 2001 the net asset value is represented.