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Spain’s €6.5bn autumn payouts arrive in two waves

Richard Reid RUSSPAIN.com

Post by Richard Reid

Spain’s €6.5bn autumn payouts arrive in two waves RUSSPAIN.com © russpain.com
Spain’s €6.5bn autumn payouts arrive in two waves © russpain.com

BBVA pays first on 15 October; Santander and Inditex follow on 2 November. The combined total exceeds €6.5 billion, though it includes buybacks as well as dividends.

Investors buying shares this month need to watch the eligibility dates as well as the payment calendar. More than €6.5 billion is due to reach shareholders in the coming weeks, after a quieter stretch for dividends. BBVA pays on 15 October. The next payments fall on 2 November.

The headline total combines different forms of capital distribution. It includes cash dividends, an extraordinary payment from Inditex and share buybacks, so the components matter.

BBVA leads with a record interim dividend of €0.37 gross per share, payable on 15 October from 2026 earnings. The bank will distribute about €2 billion in cash. Its published dividend notice names 12 October as the last trading day with entitlement to the payment. The shares trade ex-dividend from 13 October, and the record date is 14 October.

BBVA reported net profit of €6.051 billion for the first half of 2026, up 11% year on year.

BBVA

The October payment is nearly 16% higher than BBVA’s 2025 dividend of €0.32 per share. It is the largest interim dividend in the bank’s history. This is BBVA’s second dividend payment in 2026, after €0.60 gross per share on 4 April. The year’s total dividend will reach €0.97 per share, and the bank’s stated dividend yield is 3.94%.

There is a catch for anyone comparing headline totals: Santander’s €3.7 billion allocation covers a cash dividend and a previously announced buyback. It is not all a dividend payment. BBVA, too, is returning capital through a separate share repurchase programme.

BBVA completed the first €1 billion tranche of its planned €2 billion share buyback on 2 October. The bank’s capital returns therefore extend beyond its approximately €2 billion cash dividend.

BBVA

Santander and Inditex have both set 2 November 2026 as their payment date. Santander plans a cash dividend of €0.127 per share, with a stated yield of 1.9%. Its €3.7 billion allocation against first-half 2026 results includes about €1.8 billion for the dividend. A similar amount is set aside for the share repurchase announced in August. Negocios reports that 28 October is the last day to buy shares in either company with entitlement to the payments.

Santander says it will have returned €9 billion to shareholders when those amounts are counted alongside buybacks funded from 2025 results. The total also includes the distribution linked to the sale of Santander Polonia. That puts the bank on course with its stated plan to distribute €10 billion across 2025 and 2026.

Inditex will pay €0.875 gross per share on 2 November. That consists of an extraordinary €0.55 dividend charged to 2026 accounts and a €0.3250 payment against 2025. The total outlay is €2.727 billion. Shares must be bought by 28 October to qualify. The company’s stated dividend yield is 3.18%. Because €0.55 is an extraordinary payment, the full €0.875 should not be treated as a recurring annual dividend.

Inditex’s latest reported figures offer context for the payout. From January to July, the retailer earned €2.98 billion, up 6.8% on the same period a year earlier, when it set its previous half-year profit record. Sales rose 7.6% to €19.755 billion, with growth in physical stores and online. At constant exchange rates, revenue increased 9.2%.

Separately, a rental-market report described a shrinking supply of permanent rental homes as seasonal listings surged. The rental market is a separate pressure on household finances.

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