UK divis hit record high in Q3 after wave of one-off payouts

UK dividend payments hit another record high in Q3 2012, the latest figures from Capita have revealed, although the mood was soured somewhat as it warned it will be "much harder" to make progress in 2013.

UK dividends totalled £23.2bn for Q3, a record quarterly amount, with the figure prompting Capita to upgrade its full-year forecast from £78.3bn to £78.6bn. The figure is a 15.6% rise on 2011's figure, but Capita has warned divis may suffer next year, adding it was paying close attention to the underlying slowdown seen in Q3. The third quarter was the seventh consecutive three-month periods in which dividends rose, but the 10.4% increase was the slowest rate since Q4 2010. The underlying rate of 8.7% (excluding special dividends) was also notably below the 11.5% figure recorded for...