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Robi Axiata, the country's second largest telecom operator, has declared 3.0 per cent interim cash dividend for the year 2021.
The company declared the interim cash dividend out of the retained earnings in the audited financial statements for the year ended on December 31, 2020, according to a price sensitive information posted on its website.
The record date for entitlement of interim cash dividend is set on May 2, 2021.
The board of directors of the company also adopted first quarter (Q1) un-audited consolidated financial statements that ended on March 31, 2021, at a meeting held on Thursday.
The company has reported earnings per share (EPS) of Tk 0.07 in three months for January-March, 2021. Its EPS was Tk 0.33 for the year ended on December 31, 2020.
Robi's net asset value (NAV) per share stood at Tk 12.66 for the first quarter ended on March 31, 2021. Its NAV per share was Tk 13.90 for the year ended on December 31, 2020.
The company's net operating cash flow per share (NOCFPS) was Tk 1.68 for the first quarter ended on March 31, 2021 while it was Tk 5.36 for the year ended on December 31, 2020.
Robi joined the stock market with the largest-ever initial public offering (IPO) in Bangladesh's capital market history on December 24, 2020.
The company did not pay any dividend to its shareholders for the year ended on December 31, 2020, the first year after listing with the stock market which sparked widespread criticism and disappointed the investors.
The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) also called the Robi officials at a meeting that time and asked to explain for recommending 'no' dividend despite making profit for the year ended on December 31, 2020.
Each share of the Robi closed at Tk 46.10 on Thursday.
The company's shares traded between Tk 15 and Tk 77.10 after making its debut on the bourses on December 24, 2020.
The mobile phone operator raised roughly Tk 5.24 billion from a wide range of investors including its own employees under the fixed-price method.
The IPO proceed is being used to expand the company's network in anticipation of revenue-generating opportunities in the areas such as Internet-of-Things.
Robi was the first operator to roll out 3.5G services in Bangladesh. It introduced 4.5G services across all 64 districts in 2018.
The company's paid-up capital is Tk 52.37 billion and authorised capital is Tk 60 billion, while the total number of securities is nearly 5.24 billion.
The sponsor-directors own 90.05 per cent stake in the Robi while the institutional investors own 2.08 per cent and the general public 7.87 per cent as on February 28, 2021, the DSE data shows.
The mobile phone operator started its journey in 1997 under the brand name of Aktel. It then changed its name to Axiata (Bangladesh) in 2009 and took the present name Robi Axiata in 2010.
Axiata holds a 68.69 per cent stake in the company and Delhi-based Bharti Airtel owns the remaining 31.31 per cent.