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Wal-Mart ups its 2012 dividend
US supermarket giant Wal-Mart said it would raise its dividend for 2012 by 20.6 per cent yesterday despite a year of weak sales. The chain is to pay a dividend of $1.46 (£0.90) per share in the fiscal year ending in January 2012, up from $1.21 this year. Wal-Mart said the hike, which translates to a $5.2bn payout to investors, was due to its strong cash generation, with $10.9bn generated in the past year. However, sales have now declined for seven consecutive quarters.