JANUARY 12, 2012
By ALEXIS FLYNN
European energy companies are expected to return more money to shareholders in 2012 as stubbornly high oil prices swell their balance sheets.
With full-year results only weeks away, expectations are growing that heavyweights like Royal Dutch Shell will cap an extraordinary 12 months by raising dividends.
According to Deutsche Bank, the sector has “plenty of headroom” to support a forecast of 5% aggregate dividend growth in 2012. Already, it says, companies in the sector are expected to accumulate 50% more cash than they need to cover operating costs in 2012 and 2013.