The Santos dividend just rocketed by 78%. Here's the lowdown

With record revenue and surging profits, Santos' final dividend payout should please income investors.

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Key points
  • Santos reported its full-year results today
  • The ASX 200 oil and gas company announced a 160% year on year increase in profits
  • The final dividend rocketed 78% to 15.1 US cents per share

If you invested in Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) for its dividend payout you'll like what the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy stock reported today for its full 2022 financial results.

Here's why.

Happy man holding Australian dollar notes, representing dividends.

Image source: Getty Images

Santos dividend boosted by 78%

There were a number of noteworthy highlights in the Santos full-year results.

These included a 160% year on year increase in underlying profit, which came in at US$2.5 billion.

The big profit boost and record annual revenue of US$7.8 billion was fuelled by record production of 103.2 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe). That's an increase of 12% from 2021 production levels.

Which brings us to the big Santos dividend.

On the back of those strong results, the board declared a final unfranked dividend of 15.1 US cents per share. That's up a whopping 78% from the final dividend in 2021.

While the dividend was declared in US currency, ASX investors will receive the payout in Aussie dollars.

At the time of writing, AU$1 is equal to 68.4 US cents, meaning the Santos dividend, if paid out today, would equate to just under 22.1 Aussie cents per share.

That may not be precisely what ASX investors receive, mind you.

Santos will determine the US dollar exchange rate for the payout on 2 March.

If you'd like to receive the boosted dividend, you'll need to own shares before Monday, 27 February. That's when the stock trades ex-dividend.

Investors can expect to be paid on 29 March.

And interested investors can participate in Santos' dividend reinvestment plan (DRP).

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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