TOKYO -- Dividends from publicly traded Japanese companies are expected to hit a record for the fifth year in a row in fiscal 2017, with retail investors who directly own corporate shares pocketing roughly 2.5 trillion yen ($22.4 billion).
Payouts will rise 4% to 12.4 trillion yen, including planned and projected dividends, according to a tabulation by Nikkei Inc. This will represent an eighth straight year of growth. A quarter of enterprises that close their books in March are seen raising or resuming payouts, but the payout ratio will likely edge down as profits surge at a faster clip.
