The Tata group companies have increased their dividend payout for the fourth consecutive year, while the Ambanis, Birlas and the corporate sector as a whole have reduced the payout in 2007-08, data collated from published figures showed. The dividend payout is a percentage share of the net profit distributed as equity dividend.

The Tata group companies increased their dividend payout to 28.3 per cent in the financial year ended March 2008 from 27.3 per cent a year earlier, while the corporate sector (1,121 dividend paying companies) pruned the dividend payout from 25.22 per cent to 23.04 per cent.

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance [Get Quote] group shared 9.74 per cent (10.4 per cent) of the profit made by its listed companies, while his younger brother Anil Ambani paid 13.7 per cent (14.16 per cent) of the net profit earned by his three companies in 2007-08. The dividend payout of six AV Birla group companies declined from 12.09 per cent to 8.4 per cent.

The Tata group companies distributed an aggregate dividend of Rs 4,300 crore or Rs 43 billion (Rs 3,550 crore or Rs 35.5 billion) on net profits of Rs 15,193 crore or Rs 151.93 billion (Rs 12,975 crore or Rs 129.75 billion) in FY08.

Of the twenty-four Tata group companies, 14 declared dividends of more than 100 per cent, seven companies announced dividends in the range of 70 per cent to 90 per cent and three firms between 15 per cent and 45 per cent each.

The promoters, mostly holding companies, shared 50 per cent (Rs 2,168 crore or Rs 21.68 billion) of the total dividends paid in FY08, against 51 per cent (Rs 1,809 crore or Rs 18.09 billion) in the previous year.

Meanwhile, public sector undertakings suffered a setback in net profit growth in 2007-08 and therefore pruned the dividend payout from 29.3 per cent in 2006-07 to 25.5 per cent in 2007-08.