Dividend investors have been rewarded so far in 2024, with payouts from UK shares rising by 4.9% in the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2023¹. 

The data tracks dividend payouts from 900 UK companies and comes as good news for income seekers. Computershare upgraded their headline forecast from £93.9bn to £94.5bn in total payouts for 2024 – a 4.3% year-on-year increase versus the previous forecast of 3.7%. 

Most of this is likely to be driven by special dividends, which are expected to be significantly larger than in 2023. Regular dividends are predicted to be worth £89.5bn, up 1.5% year-on-year, down from 2% last year. 

What about share prices? 

While dividends rose, so did share prices. As a result, prospective yields on UK equities are around the same as a year ago at 4% on average. 

The fastest dividend growth rates so far this year have been in the airline, leisure and travel sectors, which continue to recover from the pandemic. However, according to the report, banks are likely to make the largest contribution to dividend growth in the UK for the third year running. 

¹Computershare Dividend Monitor, 2024 

The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. The past is not a guide to future performance and past performance may not necessarily be repeated.