Astra Zeneca tops the list, according to SEB's prognosis. The Swedish-British pharmaceutical company is expected to distribute 4.8 billion dollars (equivalent to 53 billion kronor).
Nordea, the Swedish-Finnish major bank, takes second place with 3.3 billion euros (equivalent to 38 billion). The all-Swedish truck manufacturer AB Volvo is not far behind, at 36 billion kronor.
Highest Direct Yield from the Banks
Shareholders normally receive their dividend from the previous year's operations in the spring or early summer, in connection with each company's annual general meeting.
SEB's dividend prognosis includes all companies listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange that the major bank monitors. This also includes Astra Zeneca and the Swedish-Swiss ABB, whose shares are largely traded in London and Zurich, respectively.
In terms of direct yield, i.e., what percentage of the share's value is expected to be distributed, the Nordic major banks top the list at 8.3 percent. They are expected to distribute a total of almost 160 billion kronor.
However, this amount also includes, in addition to the money distributed by the three Swedish major banks – Handelsbanken, SEB, and Swedbank – also the dividends from Norwegian DNB, Danish Danske Bank, and Finnish Nordea.
In some of the banks, share buybacks – another way to distribute money to shareholders – are also added on top of the actual dividend.
Volvo Cars Does Not Distribute
In percentage terms, the direct yield is even higher among Nordic shipping companies and oil companies. The shipping companies' direct yield is 13.6 percent or 97 billion kronor. For the oil companies, the direct yield is 10 percent according to SEB's prognosis, which would give shareholders 107 billion kronor.
On average among listed companies – if one also includes all growth companies and other companies that do not distribute anything at all – the direct yield is expected to be 2.7 percent.
It's not just growth companies that don't distribute.
Volvo Cars does not distribute money because they need to use the cash flow to invest in new factories and models, as it is a major transformation in the industry, says Lundevall.
Another company that normally does not distribute is Stenbeck's power company Kinnevik. They usually make one-time distributions when they have sold a company in their portfolio.
