Covid recovery pays dividends for UK plc whatsapp Dividends distributed by UK companies surged 51.2 per cent annually to reach £25.7bn in the second quarter of this year UK plc has bounced back from the worst of the Covid crisis and is sharing the proceeds with investors, according to new figures released today. Dividends distributed by UK companies surged 51.2 per cent annually to reach £25.7bn in the second quarter of this year, according to the latest UK Dividend Monitor from Link Group. The sharp rise was mainly driven by companies restarting dividends as they repaired their balance sheets from the financial shock of the Covid crisis. 90 per cent of the year-on-year increase came from firms reinstating payments to shareholders.