Vodafone payout sparks record quarter for UK dividends

The rise in special dividends from groups including Vodafone has led to a record quarter for dividend payments, although dividend growth slowed excluding the telecom giant's bumper payout.

Some £30.7bn was paid out in dividends during the first quarter of 2014 according to the latest update from Capita Asset Monitor, up 118.5% year on year. The rise was primarily due to the payment of special dividends from Vodafone and others including Easyjet. Over half of the dividends paid out in the UK came from Vodafone. The group, which sold its stake in US telecom Verizon last year, paid out £15.9bn in total in Q1, te largest payout ever seen in the UK. However, Vodafone is one of the few large companies that Capita expects to continue to grow their dividends this quarter. Out o...