The Hindu Business Line : Dabur India PAT up 41 pc; to pay 140 per cent final

NEW DELHI: Dabur India Ltd has registered a 40.6 per cent growth in its net profit for the fiscal ended March 31, 2004 at Rs 101.2 crore, up from Rs 71.97 crore recorded the previous year. Sales increased 9.5 per cent to Rs 1,147.98 crore, up from Rs 1,048.5 crore.

The board of directors has approved a dividend of 140 per cent, taking the total dividend paid this year to 200 per cent. An interim dividend of 60 per cent was announced by the company in September last year. "The board is happy to further step up its dividend payout during the year and announce its highest ever dividend so far to reward its investors and shareholders. This is the highest dividend declared by the company till date," said Mr V.C. Burman, Chairman, Dabur India Ltd, said in a statement.

The total outgo on account of dividend payout this year has increased to 56.57 per cent, up from the Rs 40.07 crore payout last year to Rs 57.25 crore this year. Dabur's consolidated results, which includes Dabur India and subsidiaries, has posted a growth of 36.8 per cent in net profit to touch Rs 109.32 crore on a turnover of Rs 1,329.56 crore.

The food business, Dabur Foods Limited, a subsidiary of Dabur India Ltd, posted an increase of 24.08 per cent in its sales at Rs 85.8 crore during the fiscal 2003-04. The company recorded a net profit of Rs 1.46 crore.

Dabur'sturnover from its international operations was Rs 128 crore with a net profit of Rs 8.3 crore.

For the fourth quarter, the company posted a growth of 46.9 per cent in its net profit at Rs 26.59 crore, while the turnover stood at Rs 287.93 crore, up 13.3 per cent from Rs 254.15 crore during the last quarter of the fiscal that ended on March 31, 2004.