The FTSE 100 dividends worth billions due in January 2026
As investors either accumulate stocks or pay their Christmas credit card bill, City writer Graeme Evans runs through the blue-chip dividends due in the weeks ahead.
31st December 2025 11:19
by Graeme Evans from interactive investor
Dividend payments by GSK (LSE:GSK) and National Grid (LSE:NG.) will account for over half the £2.75 billion due to be distributed by 17 FTSE 100 companies in the first month of 2026.
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Next (LSE:NXT) and Marks & Spencer Group (LSE:MKS) are also in the calendar along with Land Securities Group (LSE:LAND), whose shares have the best dividend yield of those paying in January at 6.7%.
The National Grid dividend of 16.35p a share is due for release on 13 January and amounts to £811 million, up from the £774 million a year earlier.
The income play benchmarks its dividend against the increase in the average annual CPI inflation rate, meaning the payment is protected in real terms.
GSK is due to distribute a third-quarter dividend of £646 million through the 8 January payment of 16p a share, which compares with the 15p a share handed over last year.
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The company has already said it expects the total for the year to be 64p, which is based on a policy equivalent to 40-60% of earnings.
Shareholders of Associated British Foods (LSE:ABF) will get a smaller dividend than the previous year’s award, when the distribution was bolstered by a special dividend of 27p a share.
This year’s payment by the Primark and British Sugar owner will consist of the full-year dividend of 42.3p, which will amount to £299 million when it is paid on 9 January.
Next is due to hand over £101 million after declaring an interim dividend of 87p a share for payment on 5 January, while Marks & Spencer has increased its award for 9 January to 1.2p a share, up from 1p the year before. The retailers yield 1.7% and 1.1% respectively.
Property stocks including Land Securities continue to trade with lofty yields as investors are paid to wait for the anticipated improvement in industry conditions.
The MediaCity and Piccadilly Lights owner is scheduled to pay a half-year dividend of 19p a share on 9 January, representing a rise of 2.2% on a year earlier and worth £142 million.
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The Games Workshop Group (LSE:GAW) dividend of 50p a share on 28 January is the month’s smallest at £17 million, but its payment is significant as an indicator of its recent trading performance.
The Warhammer hobby firm, which is now worth £6.5 billion after another strong year for its shares, only makes payments out of “truly surplus capital”.
It is planning a further 50p a share payment on 27 March, bringing the total so far in the 2025-26 financial year to 375p a share compared with 265p at the same stage of 2024-25.
Other significant payers in the month include 3i Group Ord (LSE:III), which is handing over £360 million through 36.5p a share on 9 January, and SSE (LSE:SSE) with 21.4p a share or £257 million on 30 January.
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The calendar also includes Bunzl (LSE:BNZL) on 5 January, ICG (LSE:ICG) on 9 January, Severn Trent (LSE:SVT) on 12 January, Babcock International Group (LSE:BAB) on 16 January, Auto Trader Group (LSE:AUTO) on 26 January and Diploma (LSE:DPLM) on 30 January.
Company | Payment date | Current dividend yield (%) |
05-Jan | 3.5 | |
05-Jan | 1.7 | |
08-Jan | 3.3 | |
09-Jan | 2.2 | |
09-Jan | 4.1 | |
09-Jan | 6.7 | |
09-Jan | 1.1 | |
09-Jan | 3.0 | |
12-Jan | 4.4 | |
13-Jan | 4.1 | |
16-Jan | 0.5 | |
26-Jan | 1.8 | |
28-Jan | 2.2 | |
30-Jan | 3 | |
30-Jan | 1.2 |
Source: interactive investor, ShareScope. Data correct on 19 December 2025.
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