The group aims to increase the dividend each year and the decision in respect of the dividend is made with reference to dividend cover as well as current performance trends including sales and profit after tax together with cash generation. Diageo targets dividend cover (the ratio of basic earnings per share before exceptional items to dividend per share) within the range of 1.8-2.2 times. For the year ended 30 June 2020 dividend cover was 1.6 times. The recommended final dividend for the year ended 30 June 2020, to be put to the shareholders for approval at the Annual General Meeting is 42.47 pence, the same as the final dividend for the year ended 30 June 2019. This brings the full year dividend to 69.88 pence per share, an increase of 2% on the prior year. They will keep future returns of capital, including dividends, under review through year ending 30 June 2021 to ensure we allocate Diageo's capital in the best way to maximize value for the business and our stakeholders.
Other financial highlights include:
• Reported net sales (£11.8 billion) were down 8.7% driven by organic declines. Reported operating profit (£2.1 billion) declined 47.1%, driven mainly by exceptional operating items and organic net sales.
• Organic net sales were down 8.4%, with growth in North America more than offset by declines in all other regions. Organic volumes were down 11.2%.
• Organic operating profit was down 14.4%, ahead of organic net sales, driven by volume declines, cost inflation and unabsorbed fixed costs that were partially offset by short term cost reductions and ongoing productivity benefits.
• Solid cash flow delivery with net cash from operating activities at £2.3 billion, £0.9 billion lower than prior period and free cash flow at £1.6 billion, £1.0 billion lower than prior period, in each case largely due to lower organic operating profit, lower dividends from associates, one-off tax impacts and increased working capital use.
• Measures have been put in place to reinforce Diageo's already solid liquidity including pausing the current three-year return of capital programme, bringing forward a £2.0bn USD bond issuance launched in April 2020 and putting in place an additional committed credit facility of £2.5 billion.
• Exceptional operating items included non-cash impairment charges of £1.3 billion. These were in India, Nigeria, Ethiopia and on the Windsor brand in Korea, reflecting the impact of Covid-19 and challenging trading conditions.
• Basic eps of 60.1 pence decreased by 54.0% primarily due to exceptional operating items. Pre-exceptional eps declined 16.4% to 109.4 pence, driven primarily by lower operating profit.
