Dividend Declaration

RNS Number : 4059E

Witan Investment Trust PLC

09 February 2015

 



9 February 2015

WITAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

Payment of a Fourth Interim Dividend

Witan Investment Trust plc hereby announces that a fourth interim dividend of 4.6p per ordinary share of 25p, in respect of the year ended 31 December 2014, will be paid on Thursday 2 April 2015 to shareholders registered at the close of business on Friday 6 March 2015 (the ex-dividend date being Thursday 5 March).  Taken together with the three interim dividends of 3.60p each paid in June, September and December 2014, this represents a total dividend payment of 15.4p in respect of 2014 (2013: 14.4p).  This is an increase of 6.9%.  The board's policy is, where possible, to increase the dividend each year by more than the rate of inflation.  In the year to December 2014, the consumer price index rose 0.5%.  The dividend is fully covered by the Company's 2014 revenue earnings per share (subject to finalisation of the Annual Results for 2014).

The Board's policy is that the first three interim dividends of the current financial year (in June, September and December 2015) will, in the absence of unforeseen circumstances, be paid at the rate of one quarter of the total payment in respect of the previous year.  Accordingly, the Company provisionally expects the first interim dividend in respect of 2015 to be 3.85p (2014: 3.60p).

The Board has declared a fourth interim dividend instead of a final dividend, in order to ensure that, as in previous years, the distribution is made before 5 April.

The Company has increased its dividend each year since 1974, making 2014 the 40th consecutive year of increases in the dividend.

For further information please contact:

Andrew Bell, Chief Executive Officer

Witan Investment Trust plc

Tel: [phone]

[e-mail]

Hannah Philp, Director of Marketing

Witan Investment Trust plc

Tel: [phone]

[e-mail]

Jason Nisse/Sara Lyons

Newgate Communications

Telephone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

 

END

 

 

DIVZMGGZGLZGKZM