Why today is a great day to own ANZ and Westpac shares

It is a good day to own ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares.

Shareholders of these big four banks should be smiling today for a couple of reasons. But why? Let's find out.

Why is it a good day to own ANZ and Westpac shares?

The first reason that today is a good day for the banks' shareholders is that they are both pushing higher on Friday morning.

At the time of writing, the ANZ share price is up 0.65% to $36.27 and the Westpac share price is up over 1% to $38.72.

Investors have been bidding the big four banks' shares higher today after a strong night of trade on Wall Street.

This has seen the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) rise 0.5% in early trade this morning.

What else?

Another reason that today is a good day for shareholders is that it is payday for them both.

Last month, both banks released their full year results and declared their latest final dividends.

ANZ reported a statutory profit of $5,891 million, which was down 10% from the prior year, and a flat cash profit (excluding significant items) of $6,896 million.

This was reflective of both the strength of ANZ's franchise and the importance of executing its long-term strategy according to management. It highlighted that its institutional and New Zealand divisions performed well, while Australian retail and business banking remained competitive.

This allowed ANZ to reward its shareholders with a 70% franked final dividend of 83 cents per share for FY 2025. This brought its full year dividend to 166 cents per share, which was in line with what it paid a year ago.

Eligible shareholders can look forward to receiving this final dividend of 83 cents per share later today.

The Westpac dividend

Last month, Westpac released its full year results for FY 2025. Australia's oldest bank reported a 3% increase in net interest income to $19.473 billion for the 12 months ended 30 September. This was underpinned by a 6% increase in loans and a 7% lift in customer deposits.

And while higher operating expenses weighed on its profits for the year, with Westpac reporting 1% decline in net profit after tax to $6.989 billion, it didn't stop its board from increasing its dividend modestly to a fully franked $1.53 per share.

This includes a fully franked final dividend of 77 cents per share, which is being paid to eligible Westpac shareholders today.