Meta, Salesforce, and Booking Help Drive $16B Rise in US Dividend Payouts in Q1

Dividend payouts rose by a net $16 billion in the first quarter of 2024, boosted by Meta (META), Salesforce (CRM), and Booking Holdings (BKNG) initiating multi-billion dollar dividend payouts, S&P Dow Jones Indices reported.

There were $22.7 billion worth of dividend hikes in the first quarter, up from $17.5 billion the quarter prior. Those gains more than offset dividend decreases of $6.7 billion in the first quarter, after $3.9 billion in reductions in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Much of the dividend growth was driven by a few large-caps as Meta, Salesforce, and Booking Holdings initiated their first dividends. Together, the three companies’ dividends accounted for nearly one-third (31.6%) of the $16 billion increase in the first quarter of 2024.

“S&P 500 large caps appear to be weathering uncertainty and volatility better,” S&P Dow Jones Indices Senior Index Analyst Howard Silverblatt said, noting that concerns about the economy and interest rates could hold back the size of dividend hikes through the rest of the year.

While the Federal Reserve has signaled there could be interest rate cuts in 2024, policymakers also suggested more reports showing cooling inflation would be needed before they would cut rates.

S&P Dow Jones Indices said it expects the S&P 500 index could post a 6% increase in dividend payments for 2024, up from a 5.1% gain in 2023, but down from the 10.8% rise seen in 2022.