MOSCOW, March 30 (Reuters) - Russia's gas export monopoly Gazprom may pay a record 100 billion roubles ($3.4 billion) in 2009 dividends, business daily Vedomosti reported on Tuesday.
Under Russian Accounting Standards that are used to calculate dividends, Gazprom's net profit soared almost fourfold to 600 billion roubles in 2009, the paper quoted two sources close to Gazprom as saying.
Under its dividend policy, Gazprom must allocate around 17.5 percent of RAS net profit to shareholders. However, a year ago it paid 5 percent, or 8.5 billion roubles instead of the 30.3 billion it could have paid under its rules.
The paper quoted an analyst as saying the gas monopoly could calculate dividends based on profits adjusted for non-cash one-offs, including the revaluation of its oil unit, Gazprom Neft. The payout would therefore total about 39.4 billion roubles, the analyst said.
Gazprom, whose board is scheduled to discuss dividends in May, was not immediately available for comment.
Russian Accounting Standards differ significantly from International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Gazprom plans to report its 2009 IFRS results on April 29.
($1=29.62 Rouble)
(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Lincoln Feast) Keywords: GAZPROM/DIVIDEND (maria.kiselyova@reuters.com, +7 495 775 12 42, Reuters Messaging: maria.kiselyova.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Under Russian Accounting Standards that are used to calculate dividends, Gazprom's net profit soared almost fourfold to 600 billion roubles in 2009, the paper quoted two sources close to Gazprom as saying.
Under its dividend policy, Gazprom must allocate around 17.5 percent of RAS net profit to shareholders. However, a year ago it paid 5 percent, or 8.5 billion roubles instead of the 30.3 billion it could have paid under its rules.
The paper quoted an analyst as saying the gas monopoly could calculate dividends based on profits adjusted for non-cash one-offs, including the revaluation of its oil unit, Gazprom Neft. The payout would therefore total about 39.4 billion roubles, the analyst said.
Gazprom, whose board is scheduled to discuss dividends in May, was not immediately available for comment.
Russian Accounting Standards differ significantly from International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Gazprom plans to report its 2009 IFRS results on April 29.
($1=29.62 Rouble)
(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Lincoln Feast) Keywords: GAZPROM/DIVIDEND (maria.kiselyova@reuters.com, +7 495 775 12 42, Reuters Messaging: maria.kiselyova.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.