BSE : Declared dividend of Rs 4 a share (or 400%).

A higher income from investments helped the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) post a rise in net profit, even though the Asia’s oldest bourse recorded a flat growth in revenue due to lower transaction charges and a drop in income from penalties, fees and other charges in the year ended March 31, 2009.

The BSE board has declared a dividend of Rs 4 a share (or 400%) on the post-bonus equity of Rs 10.2 crore, resulting in a dividend outgo of Rs 42 crore. The dividend will go to a string of local and foreign shareholders, with the top 20 receiving 48% of the payout.

Deutsche Boerse, Singapore Exchange, SBI, LIC, Dubai Financial Group, Atticus Mauritius, Acacia Banyan Partners, Caldwell Asset Management and Bajaj Holdings are among the top BSE shareholders. The exchange posted a total income of Rs 421 crore against Rs 420 crore in the previous year.

Brokers attributed the flat growth to a sharp fall in cash and derivatives turnover which affected the exchange’s income from securities trading.

Despite a fall in turnover-linked income, the BSE saw its net profit rise 18% to Rs 212 crore, thanks to a rise in income from investment and deposits — from Rs 175 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 222 crore last fiscal.

Last year’s stock market turmoil caused a significant fall in trading volumes on bourses, with the BSE recording a 30% decline in turnover to Rs 11 lakh crore in 2008-09 compared with Rs 15.8 lakh crore in 2007-08.

The BSE recorded a 30% drop in transaction charges to Rs 77 crore, while income from other charges amounted to Rs 40 crore compared with Rs 48 crore in the previous year. A higher net profit has boosted BSE’s net worth from Rs 1,559 crore to Rs 1,728 crore.

-- an article by ET dt:14th July 2009

(Also read a post on BSE dated: Nov 13 2008 & Nov 20 2008)