Sun Nianrui, Vice President of China Listed Companies Association: The awareness of returns for listed companies is becoming stronger and stronger.

The 8th West Lake Conference with the theme of "Building a strong capital engine, empowering new productive forces" was held in Hangzhou on May 21. Sun Nianrui, member of the Party Committee and Vice President of the China Listed Companies Association, stated in his speech that in recent years, listed companies have become more conscious of returns, actively implementing multiple dividends in a year, dividends before the Spring Festival, and so on. Sun Nianrui mentioned that a total of 3,751 listed companies have announced or implemented cash dividend plans for the 2024 operating year, with a total dividend amount of 2.34 trillion yuan, reaching a historical high. The average dividend payment rate exceeds 37%, and 1,277 companies have a dividend payment rate exceeding 50%. Over 300 listed companies have implemented dividends in the first two months before this year's Spring Festival, with a total amount exceeding 340 billion yuan, setting a historical record. Dividend buybacks have far exceeded the total scale of IPOs, further financing, and reductions in holdings. The dividend yield of the Shanghai and Shenzhen 300 Index has reached 3.6%, and a more coordinated market ecosystem for investment and financing is accelerating its formation.