The dividend for shareholders of biotechnology company CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) is set to hit bank accounts today.
CSL shares are up 1.33% in late morning trading and are currently fetching $295.34 apiece. For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 0.5%.
So what are the details of the CSL dividend?
CSL dividend due today
Eligible CSL investors, rejoice! You are due to receive an interim dividend of US$1.07 per share today, unfranked.
In Australian dollars, this will deliver a dividend of $1.621458 based on an exchange rate of US65.99 cents. This exchange rate was specified in a CSL dividend update, released on 14 March.
Today's interim dividend is 2.9% higher than the US$1.04 per share delivered in the first half of 2022.
However, it is less than the final dividend of US$1.18 per share, 10% franked, paid out at the end of 2022.
CSL reported a net profit after tax (NPAT) of US$1.62 billion in the first half of FY23. The company delivered record levels of plasma collections. This result included acquisition costs for Vifor Pharma.
The dividend equates to about 32% of the company's earnings per share (EPS) of US$3.37 for the half.
Commenting on these results, CSL CEO and managing director Paul Perreault said:
CSL delivered a solid performance in the first half of the financial year demonstrating the strong fundamentals of the company and the disciplined execution of our patient focused strategy.
CSL's dividend history shows the interim dividend has been increasing steadily in recent years.
In 2017, CSL delivered an interim dividend of US 64 cents per share. This increased to 79 cents in 2018 and then US 85 cents in 2019.
In 2020, CSL delivered a half-year dividend of US 95 cents per share.
And then in 2021, CSL provided shareholders with an interim dividend of US$1.04 per share.
Back in 2013, CSL's interim dividend was US 50 cents per share, up from 36 cents in 2012.
Share price snapshot
The CSL share price has returned more than 10% in the past year. In the past month, it has climbed 1.2%.
CSL has a market capitalisation of more than $143 billion based on the current share price.
