The GlaxoSmithKline PLC Board has declared a fourth interim dividend for 2021 of 23pence per share (Q4 2020: 23 pence per share).
On 23 June 2021, at the new GSK Investor Update, GSK set out that from 2022 a progressive dividend policy will be implemented. The dividend policy, the total expected cash distribution, and the respective dividend pay-out ratios for new GSK and new Consumer Healthcare remain unchanged.
GSK expects to declare a 27p per share dividend payable by the current group for the first half. This comprises 22 pence per share for new GSK and 5 pence per share representing Consumer Healthcare during the first half whilst part of the group. For the second half of 2022, new GSK continues to expect to declare a 22p per share dividend. As previously communicated, new GSK would expect to declare a dividend of 45 pence per share for 2023.
Following separation, the dividend policy for the new Consumer Healthcare company will be the responsibility of its Board of Directors and is expected to be guided by a 30 to 50 per cent pay-out ratio. On this basis, they now expect a second-half dividend from the new Consumer Healthcare company equivalent to a payout of around 3 pence per share, subject to its Board's decisions on the intra-year phasing of dividend payments. This expected distribution per share for the second half of the year has been adjusted from that highlighted at the GSK Investor Update in June 2021 to reflect the total number of shares (up to circa 9.25 billion shares) in the new Consumer Healthcare company that are expected to be in issue upon demerger. In June 2021 the planning assumption for the Investor Update reflected only the GSK shares in issue at that time (circa 5 billion shares).
In aggregate, this would represent on the full year 2022 basis the equivalent of a Group dividend of around 52p per share. Dividends payable by Consumer Healthcare will only be receivable by shareholders who remain invested in Consumer Healthcare post-separation and at the appropriate record dates.
Payment of dividends
The equivalent interim dividend receivable by ADR holders will be calculated based on the exchange rate on 4 April 2022. An annual fee of $0.03 per ADS (or $0.0075 per ADS per quarter) is charged by the Depositary.
The ex-dividend date will be 24 February 2022, with a record date of 25 February 2022 and a payment date of 7 April 2022.
