Company Announcements

ABERDEEN STANDARD EQUITY INCOME TRUST PLC

Legal Entity Identifier (LEI): 21380015XPT7BZISSQ74

20 February 2020

Declaration of Interim Dividends

The Board announces that the first interim dividend for the year ending 30 September 2020 of 5.2 pence per Ordinary Share will be payable to Shareholders on 27 March 2020.  The interim dividend is payable to Shareholders on the register on 6 March 2020. 

In addition to the above, the Board's intention is that the second and third interim dividends will also each be 5.2 pence per Ordinary Share, payable in June and September 2020 respectively, and that the fourth interim dividend will be paid in December 2020, will be at least 5.8 pence per share.

Cumulatively, this is an increase from 20.5 pence in 2019, to a minimum of 21.4 pence for 2020, representing an uplift in the dividend for the year of, at least, 4.4%. The dividend increase will be the twentieth consecutive annual dividend increase.

In order to ensure that Shareholders receive more regular dividend payments from the Company, the Board intends to move away from the payment of three quarterly dividends and a final dividend, which requires shareholder approval at an AGM.  The intention is to pay four interim dividends, with a fourth interim dividend being paid in December rather than January as is currently the case.  In accordance with good corporate governance, each year the Board will seek from Shareholders the approval of its dividend policy at its AGM to pay four interim dividends in the coming year. 

Dividends will be payable in March, June, September and December each year, rather than March, June, September and January. 

The proposed 2020 dividend timetable is as follows:-

For further information please contact:-

Paul Evitt

Aberdeen Asset Management PLC

Company Secretary

Tel: 0131 372 2200