Ampol lifts its dividend, Bendigo holds steady, and Chorus sets a higher floor
Ampol, Bendigo Bank, and Chorus improved profit through different routes. Shareholder payouts diverged as refining margins, a past writedown, regulatory provisions, and fibre migration shaped the three results.
Economics & Markets··Morning
Ampol's interim dividend rises from 40 cents to 185 cents
Ampol reported underlying net profit of 857.2 million Australian dollars for the six months to 30 June, against 180.2 million a year earlier and a market consensus of 840 million. The company said its refining margin more than tripled to 28.26 dollars a barrel as Middle East supply disruption lifted refined-fuel values. Fuels and infrastructure earnings rose more than ninefold, while convenience retail added 12 per cent. The interim dividend consequently rose from 40 Australian cents a year earlier to 185 cents. Ampol operates one of only two refineries left in Australia, making the large refining-margin move especially visible in its company accounts and the distribution to shareholders.[1]
Bendigo Bank returns to profit and leaves its annual payout unchanged
Bendigo Bank reported net profit of 375.1 million Australian dollars for the year to 30 June 2026. It had lost 97.1 million a year earlier, a result that included a 539.5 million goodwill impairment. Revenue rose 2.8 per cent to 1.99 billion and cash earnings increased 3.0 per cent to 530.2 million. The board's final dividend of 33.0 cents, added to the 30.0-cent interim dividend, kept the annual payout level with last year. The return to profit did not remove every pressure: regulatory provisions cost 58.8 million Australian dollars after tax, and the bank raised credit expenses on a more cautious outlook. Bendigo's payout therefore stayed steady between the disappearance of the accounting loss and continuing regulatory and credit costs.[2]
Chorus raises its dividend floor to 62 cents as copper lines recede
Network operator Chorus increased net profit in the 2026 financial year. The previous profit was 4 million New Zealand dollars; the new profit was 37 million New Zealand dollars. Revenue increased 1.5 per cent to 1.03 billion and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 3 per cent to 726 million. Fibre uptake climbed from 74.3 per cent to 75.9 per cent, and connections increased by 32,000 to 1.147 million. Copper lines stood at 44,000, compared with 157,000 in the 2024 financial year. The total dividend rose from 57.6 cents a share to 60 cents. For 2027, Chorus guided to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of 730 million to 760 million New Zealand dollars and a minimum dividend of 62 cents. The higher payout floor accompanies the retreat of the old copper network and growth in fibre connections.[3]
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