The company has been unable to make dividend payments because of financial difficulties.

A dividend payment from the government to the people is not unprecedented.

The company also announced that its dividend payment would increase 8.7 percent.

The company has increased its dividend payments every year for the past 26 years.

Exxon, the nation's largest oil company, said this would bring the total dividend payment for 1990 to $2.47 a share.

By the beginning of 1974, the company had restored dividend payments for the first time since 1970.

We are not talking here about misplaced 1099 dividend payments.

It would give a $27 dividend payment for each share, according to people involved in their bid.

Shareholders will receive a 15% increase in their total dividend payment to 21p per share from 18.25p.

Even at the higher rate, that would mean total dividend payments of $17.94 over the years.

The financing for the dividend payout more than doubled the company's debt, which had stood at about $1.3 billion.

This is done because the dividend payout will decrease the value of the company, as it comes directly from the company's reserves.

There has been one other argument regarding why the low dividend payout now is not a danger sign.

It made £41.7m compared with £32.5m in 1990 and is increasing its total dividend payout to 56.4p per share from 47p.

Through the 1990's, the average dividend payout was 50 percent.

Investors should also factor in the ability of companies to raise dividend payouts over time.

The matter was not helped by the company's failure to decide on the dividend payout until the last minute.

The annual dividend payout will cost Microsoft about $856 million a year.

The financing for the dividend payout will nearly double the level of the company's debt, which now stands at about $1.3 billion.

For the last 14 years, they have increased dividend payouts twice a year.