Title : Rio Tinto rewards shareholders with $9.9 billion in dividends, as profit lifts
link : Rio Tinto rewards shareholders with $9.9 billion in dividends, as profit lifts
Rio Tinto rewards shareholders with $9.9 billion in dividends, as profit lifts
Mining giant Rio Tinto has rewarded shareholders with $US7.1 billion ($9.89 billion) of dividends, making it the latest company to give back special dividends to its investors.
The miner on Wednesday announced a $US4 billion ($5.57 billion) special dividend, after reporting a 2 per cent rise in underlying profit to $US8.8 billion.
The special dividend is on top of a final dividend worth a total of $US3.1 billion for shareholders, and will be funded with a number of assets sales announced in 2018 including its Grasberg copper mine in Indonesia and its Dunkerque aluminium smelter in France.
Rio's final dividend will be $US1.80 per share. The special dividend is equal to $US2.43 per share.
The company's total cash returns in the 2018 year hit $US13.5 billion.
Rio Tinto's net revenue was $40.5 billion in 2018, which was $0.5 billion more than in 2017.
"These strong results reflect the efforts of the team to implement our value-over-volume strategy as we continued to strengthen the portfolio and invest in future growth," Rio chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques said.
"Our world-class portfolio and strong balance sheet will serve us well in all market conditions, and underpin our ability to continue to invest in our business and deliver superior returns to shareholders in the short, medium and long term."
Rio Tinto is the latest company, following other industry giants such as Fortescue Metals and Yancoal, to have unveiled special dividends to shareholders in their latest financial updates.
The company's share price rose 0.6 per cent on Wednesday to $95.12.
Company reports on climate change risk
Rio Tinto on Wednesday also reported to shareholders the steps the company is taking to address climate change.
Its Our Approach to Climate Change report followed global guidelines developed in 2017 by the G20 Financial Stability Board's Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
The TCFD guidelines come off the back of the Paris Agreement's pledge to keep global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius. They aim to help companies better disclose information about climate change risk so that investors can understand their financial exposure.
The company warned that the commodity price impacts would be significant, especially for its Pilbara iron ore.
It said limiting global warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels raised questions about the ability of steel producers to decarbonise at an affordable cost to consumers.
"There is large uncertainty around how the steel production sector will decarbonise in the long run, which could materially affect the value of Rio Tinto's iron ore business," it said.
"In addition to an escalation of the severity of the medium-term impacts, there is a need to plan for greater frequency and intensity of cyclones on the Pilbara coast."
But it foreshadowed increased demand for copper and other battery materials due to greater focus on electrification.
It said emission-reduction policies were likely to increase aluminium prices. This would benefit low-cost, low-carbon producers but put greater pressure on coal-based smelters as well as the refineries supporting them, it said.
CEO says more work is needed
Rio chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques said the company had reduced its emissions footprint 30 per cent from 2008 levels, and renewable energy was now used to produce nearly three quarters of the electricity the company used.
The company was on track to beat its target of reducing emissions intensity by 24 per cent from 2008 levels by 2020.
"Given our decision to strengthen our business and exit coal, we are now the only major mining company with a fossil-fuel-free portfolio, which means we are well-positioned to continue to a low-carbon future," he said.
"The materials we produce, from infinitely recyclable aluminium to copper used in electrification to our higher-grade iron ore product, all play a part in the transition to a low-carbon economy."
But he acknowledged the company needed to do more, and called on the entire industry to act.
A number of other companies have been taking steps to address climate change risk, following increased pressure from investors and regulators to act.
Last week Swiss-based resources giant Glencore said it would freeze coal production at current levels, and instead focus on commodities including copper, cobalt, nickel, vanadium and zinc, as part of its "global response to the increasing risks posed by climate change".
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