Megaworld hikes dividends 25 percent to record P3.8 billion

Insider Spotlight

• Megaworld declared a record P3.8-billion cash dividend, up 25 percent from its August 2025 payout
• The dividend translates to a 5.2-percent yield based on the property developer’s Aug. 11 closing price
• Megaworld ended June with P22.8 billion in cash while lowering its net debt-to-equity ratio to 0.24 times
  
  

Megaworld Corp. is raising its cash dividend by 25 percent to a record P3.8 billion as the property giant shares more of its growing profits with investors while maintaining a stronger balance sheet.

The company declared a cash dividend of P0.11733697 per share, up from P0.09395845 per share in August 2025. The latest payout represents a dividend yield of 5.2 percent based on Megaworld’s P2.27 closing price on Aug. 11, according to its regulatory disclosure.

Why it matters

The record payout gives Megaworld shareholders a bigger direct return as the company benefits from rising profits and a growing contribution from recurring-income businesses.

The dividend will be paid on Sept. 9 to shareholders on record as of Aug. 27. Megaworld said it has increased its cash dividend for three consecutive years, with payouts compounding at an annual rate of 22 percent.

By the numbers

This year’s dividend is equivalent to 18 percent of Megaworld’s P21 billion in 2025 net income attributable to its parent company, compared with a 16 percent payout ratio a year earlier.

Megaworld also reported P22.8 billion in cash as of end-June, up from P20.8 billion at the end of 2025. Its net debt-to-equity ratio improved to 0.24 times from 0.27 times, marking a second consecutive year of deleveraging.

What they’re saying

“This record dividend reflects Megaworld’s continued growth and our commitment to share more of the value we create with our shareholders,” Megaworld chief finance officer Francisco C. Canuto said in a press statement.

“With an expanding recurring income platform and a prudently managed balance sheet, we are well-positioned to deliver sustained, meaningful increases in shareholder returns while advancing Megaworld’s next phase of growth,” Canuto said.

What’s next

Megaworld is continuing its long-term expansion of recurring-income assets, targeting two million square meters of office gross leasable area and one million square meters of retail space by 2030.

Hitting those targets would bring its total leasing portfolio to three million square meters, potentially giving Megaworld a larger base of recurring cash flows to support investment, debt management and future shareholder returns. —Vanessa Hidalgo| Ed: Corrie S. Narisma