8 May 2019
CIVITAS SOCIAL HOUSING PLC
("Civitas" or the "Company")
Dividend Declaration
The Board of Civitas Social Housing PLC ("Board"), the first London listed real estate investment trust ("REIT") dedicated to investing into regulated social housing in England and Wales, is pleased to announce a quarterly dividend for the financial year ended 31 March 2019 together with a commentary on the dividend target for the financial year to 31 March 2020.
Dividend Declaration
The Board has declared a quarterly dividend in respect of the Ordinary Shares for the three months to 31 March 2019 of 1.325 pence per Ordinary Share, being an increase of 6 per cent over the previous quarterly dividend payment of 1.25 pence.
The dividend will be paid on or around 7 June 2019 to holders of Ordinary Shares on the register as at 17 May 2019 (the "Record Date"). The corresponding ex-dividend date will be 16 May 2019.
The dividend will be paid as a REIT property income distribution ("PID"). For shareholders who qualify for gross payment of distributions, forms to register for gross PIDS are available on the Company's website or from the Company's registrar, Link Asset Services, The Registry, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 4TU. Eligibility declarations must be returned to the Company's registrar by the Record Date.
The Directors are now targeting to pay a total dividend of 5.3 pence per Ordinary Share in respect of the Company's financial year ending 31 March 2020, being an increase of 4.3 per cent over dividends declared in relation to the previous financial year to 31 March 2019 of 5.08 pence per Ordinary Share
This dividend target is expected to be supported by the underlying and future growth in rental income achieved during the financial year ending 31 March 2020.
In future years the Company will target to increase dividends to reflect the growth in rental income.
For further information, please contact:
Civitas Housing Advisors Limited
Paul Bridge Tel: +44 (0)20 3058 4844
Andrew Dawber Tel: +44 (0)20 3058 4846
Cenkos Securities PLC
Sapna Shah Tel: +44 (0)20 7397 1922
Tom Scrivens Tel: +44 (0)20 7397 1915
Buchanan
Helen Tarbet / Henry Harrison-Topham Tel: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000
Henry Wilson / Hannah Ratcliff civitas@buchanan.uk.com
Notes:
Civitas Social Housing PLC is the first Real Estate Investment Trust offering pure play exposure to social housing in England and Wales. The Company is advised by Civitas Housing Advisors Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under Firms Reference Number 815699. The Company is listed on the premium listing segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority and was admitted to trading on the main market for listed securities of the London Stock Exchange in November 2016. The Company is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index.