sumitomo mitsui financial group exceeds profit forecast, boosts dividends

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) reported consolidated ordinary profit of JPY 1,278,123 million for the six months ended September 30, 2025, a 24.0% increase year-over-year. Profit attributable to owners of parent reached JPY 933,505 million, up 28.7%. This led to an upward revision of the full-year profit attributable to owners of parent forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, to JPY 1,500,000 million, a 27.3% increase from the previous fiscal year.

In line with the strong performance, SMFG announced an interim dividend of JPY 78 per share for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, an increase of JPY 10 from the previous forecast. The year-end dividend forecast was also revised upwards by JPY 11 to JPY 79 per share, resulting in a total annual dividend forecast of JPY 157 per share, an increase of JPY 21 from the prior forecast and JPY 35 from the dividend paid for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025. The company also announced a resolution to repurchase up to 50,000,000 shares (1.3% of outstanding shares) or JPY 150,000,000,000, and cancel these shares by February 20, 2026.