Lotte Shopping (023530.KS) is paying an interim dividend for a second consecutive year, accelerating its shareholder return policy. The company raised the dividend per share by 100 won.
Lotte Shopping held a board meeting Wednesday and resolved on an interim dividend for 2026. The dividend per common share is 1,300 won, up 100 won from 1,200 won last year. The total dividend amount is approximately 36.75 billion won.
The dividend record date is June 30, with payment scheduled for July 31.
The dividend is intended to fulfill a shareholder return commitment Lotte Shopping had previously announced. In October 2024, the company unveiled a shareholder return policy stating it would consider paying an interim dividend. It subsequently implemented its first interim dividend last year, marking the first such payout since its 2006 listing and the first in the retail industry.
The decision to maintain its dividend policy this year while increasing the payout size was underpinned by improved earnings. Lotte Shopping posted net sales of 3.5816 trillion won and operating profit of 252.9 billion won in the first quarter this year, up 3.6% and 70.6% respectively from a year earlier. The operating profit, in particular, surged more than 70%, providing the basis for the expanded dividend.
"This interim dividend and dividend expansion reflect our commitment to actively implementing our corporate value enhancement plan," said Lim Jae-chul, head of Lotte Shopping's finance division. "We will continue to enhance corporate value through strengthening our core business competitiveness and profitability-focused management, and we will continuously carry out our shareholder return policy."
