CAC 40 stock returns and dividends in 2022

A record year for CAC 40 shareholders:

In 2022, the 40 largest French listed companies distributed an unprecedented €80 billion in dividends to their shareholders. This information was communicated by the specialised newsletter Vernimmen, which estimated this sum. This is an all-time record for CAC 40 companies, and includes approximately €56 billion in dividends, which is the portion of profits that companies have chosen to allocate to their shareholders, who are the owners of the company.
In addition, companies also bought back almost €24 billion worth of shares. This practice also redistributes money to shareholders, as share buybacks reduce the number of shares outstanding, which means that each shareholder has a larger stake in the company. The large amounts of dividends and share buybacks can be explained by the resilience of growth, particularly in successful sectors such as luxury, aerospace and energy. Indeed, this has led companies to reassure their shareholders worried about the stock market falling by 9.5% in 2022.

The French stocks that generated the most interesting dividends in 2022 and before :

Here are the 10 stocks with the best dividend yield in 2022:

• CREDIT AGRICOLE SA: With a dividend of 1.05 euros, the Crédit Agricole share offered a yield of 9.51% in 2022
• STELLANTIS: The share gave its shareholders a dividend of 1.04 euro, which represents a yield of 7.23%.
• ORANGE: The Orange share's dividend of EUR 0.70 in 2022 yielded 7.20%.
• ENGIE: France's leading energy company paid a dividend of EUR 0.85 to its shareholders, yielding 6.53%.
• SOCIETE GENERALE: The dividend of €1.65 per Société Générale share gave shareholders a yield of 6.05%.
• BOUYGUES: For Bouygues shares, the 2022 dividend was EUR 1.80 per share, representing a yield of 5.95%.
• BNP PARIBAS: With a dividend of EUR 3.67 per share, BNP Paribas posted a yield of 5.83% in 2022.
• AXA: The dividend paid by AXA to its shareholders in 2022 was EUR 1.54, representing a yield of 5.38%.
• TOTALENERGIES: TotalEnergie paid a dividend of 2.64 euros with a yield of 4.63%.
• MICHELIN: Finally, Michelin, with a dividend of 4.50 euros, shows a yield of 3.88% (after adjustment for a stock split of 4)

These stocks were chosen based on their high dividend yield in 2022, which is calculated by dividing the amount of the dividend paid by the share price. It is important to note that the dividend yield may vary depending on share price fluctuations.

Details of dividends paid in 2022 by CAC 40 companies:

To give you an idea of the precise amount of dividends that were received by CAC 40 shareholders, here is the price paid for each share in this stock index in 2022:

• Air Liquide paid a dividend of €2.90 per share to its shareholders in 2022.
• Airbus paid a dividend of €1.50 per share in 2022 after a suspension of its dividend in 2021.
• Alstom paid a dividend of €0.25 per share in 2022 with no change since 2021.
• ArcelorMittal paid a dividend of €0.34 per share in 2022.
• AXA paid a dividend of €1.54 per share in 2022 compared to €1.45 in 2021.
• BNP Paribas paid a dividend of €3.67 per share in 2022.
• Bouygues paid a dividend of €1.80 per share in 2022 and announced an unchanged dividend for 2023.
• CapGemini paid a dividend of €2.40 per share in 2022.
• Carrefour paid a dividend of €0.52 per share in 2022.
• Crédit Agricole paid a dividend of €0.80 per share in 2022 payable in cash or shares.
• Danone paid a dividend of €1.94 per share in 2022.
• Dassault Systèmes paid a dividend of €0.17 per share in 2022.
• Engie paid a dividend of €0.53 per share in 2022.
• EssilorLuxottica paid a dividend of €2.51 per share in 2022.
• Eurofins Scientific paid a dividend of €1 per share in 2022.
• Hermes International paid a dividend of €8 per share in 2022, almost twice as much as in 2021.
• Kering paid a dividend of €12 per share in 2022.
• L'Oréal paid a dividend of €4.80 per share in 2022.
• Legrand paid a dividend of €1.65 per share in 2022.
• LVMH paid a dividend of €10 per share in 2022. - Michelin paid a dividend of €4.50 per share in 2022.
• Orange paid a dividend of €0.70 per share in 2022.
• Pernod Ricard paid a dividend of €4.12 per share in 2022.
• Publicis Group paid a dividend of €2.40 per share in 2022.
• Renault paid no dividend to its shareholders in 2022.
• Safran paid a dividend of €0.50 per share in 2022.
• Saint-Gobain paid a dividend of €1.63 per share in 2022.
• Sanofi paid a dividend of €3.33 per share in 2022.
• Schneider Electric paid a dividend of €2.90 per share in 2022.
• Societe Generale paid a dividend of €1.65 per share in 2022, which was restricted under ECB rules.
• Stellantis paid an exceptional dividend of €1.05 per share to its shareholders in 2022.
• STMicroelectronics paid a dividend of €0.21 per share in 2022.
• Teleperformance paid a dividend of €3.30 per share in 2022.
• Thales paid a dividend of €2.56 per share in 2022.
• TotalEnergies paid a dividend of €2.64 per share in 2022.
• Unibail Rodamco Westfield paid no dividend to its shareholders in 2022.
• Veolia paid a dividend of €1 per share in 2022.
• Vinci paid a dividend of €2.90 per share in 2022.
• Vivendi paid a dividend of €0.25 per share in 2022.
• Worldline did not pay a dividend to its shareholders in 2022.

What dividends will be paid by CAC 40 companies in 2023?

It is not yet possible to know the exact amount of dividends that will be paid in 2023 by the CAC 40 companies. Indeed, this amount will only be communicated after a vote by the shareholders at the annual general meeting.
This general meeting is always held after the official publication of the group's annual financial results, which usually takes place in the first quarter of the following year.
For 2023, the results for the year 2022 for companies listed on the CAC 40 index will therefore be published at the beginning of the year. It is only after this date that the amount of the dividend and its payment date will be decided.

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