Fears over the dividend outlooks of Britain’s blue chips went up a notch this week following the Bank of England’s move to support the banking sector. After its decision to reduce banks’ capital commitments, the Bank of England said that it supports the Prudential Regulation Authority’s view that banks should “not increase dividends and other distributions as a result of this action.”
The fallout from Brexit isn’t only playing havoc with the dividend prospects of the banking segment, of course, with predicted payouts from retailers and insurers, right through to housebuilders and airlines, also coming under increased scrutiny.
With this in mind, I reckon now is the time to look at three Footsie giants whose dividend outlooks are on a far safer footing. Â
ARM yourself
Chipbuilder ARM Holdings (LSE: ARM) may not be an obvious candidate for dividend seekers. After all, yields at the tech play have long lagged the FTSE 100 average. And this isn’t expected to improve any time soon — yields for 2016 and 2017 stand at 0.9% and 1.1%, based on City projections.
However, ARM’s terrific cash-generative qualities has seen it ramp up payments to its shareholders in recent times, and the business raised the dividend by a quarter last year.
And further breakneck dividend growth is anticipated as earnings balloon. Payouts are predicted to charge 19% higher this year, to 10.4p per share, and a further 21% rise is chalked-in for 2017, to 12.6p.
And I expect dividends at ARM to keep on exploding as its broad presence across a multitude of tech areas pays off.
The drugs do work
The impact of patent losses on key drugs — combined with the capital-heavy nature of drugs development — has put paid to tasty dividend growth at GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) in recent times.
Indeed, the pharma giant locked the dividend at 80p per share in 2016, and has vowed to keep payouts at this level until the end of next year (the City expects GlaxoSmithKline to make good on these projections, incidentally).
Still, investors shouldn’t forget that these projections still yield a mighty 4.8%. And with GlaxoSmithKline’s next generation of revenues drivers ready to come off the line, and medical investment the world over steadily climbing, I reckon the drugs dynamo is a great pick for those seeking market-busting yields well into the future.
Cook up a fortune
Investor appetite for the retail sector has come under pressure in recent days as the market digests the fallout of June’s Brexit vote on consumer confidence.
But I have no fears that Greggs’ (LSE: GRG) grub should stop flying off the shelves. If anything, I believe sales of the baker’s cut-price sandwiches and sausage rolls could detonate as hungry Britons switch down from more expensive food outlets.
Besides, the country’s love of a cup of tea and a slice of cake remains one of life’s constants, regardless of the state of the wider economy.
With this in mind, I reckon Greggs is a terrific bet for those seeking reliable long-term dividend growth. And I expect the caterer to make good on projected payouts of 29.5p and 33.1p for 2016 and 2017 respectively, figures that yield a handy 3.2% and 3.6%.