SEOUL, Jan 25 (Reuters): Samsung Electronics Co Ltd , under pressure to appease investors who have berated it for hoarding the spoils of rapid growth, has pledged to hand out even more profit after almost doubling its full-year dividend to a record $2 billion.
The main rival of Apple Inc has amassed $51 billion in spare cash in recent years by selling as many as one of every three smartphones, but the amount of profit reaching shareholders hit its lowest in 2012 in five years.
Some investors have called for more returns, but the biggest maker of TVs, smartphones and memory chips has been reluctant to change its payout policy largely because of a need to build funds to secure future growth.
Samsung's smartphone market share will be challenged this year as Apple starts selling iPhones via China Mobile Ltd , the world's largest carrier by subscribers. Apple is also widely expected to release iPhones with big-screens, a key feature of Samsung's Galaxy range.
Samsung pledges higher dividend after record payout
FE Team | Published: January 26, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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