ANZ dishes out dividend

ANZ saw its unaudited cash profit from continuing operations rise to $1.498 billion at its 3Q update.

“During the quarter we have grown home loans in Australia well above the rest of the market,” said CEO Shayne Elliott. “We are also pleased with the strong deposit growth, demonstrating customers are taking a prudent approach in shoring up their personal finances.”

ANZ also announced it will pay out a dividend of 25 cents, representing 46 per cent of statutory net profit from the first half.

“We know many of our shareholders rely on dividends,” said chairman David Gonski. “We’ve been able to build on our strong capital position this quarter, and this has enabled us to pay a dividend that balances the needs of our shareholders with the uncertain economic environment.

“We agree with APRA’s view that all ADIs should be prudent in considering dividends. We arrived at our decision independently and it sits comfortably within APRA’s guidance.”