Samsung Elec 2015 dividend payout likely less than 2014: Source

Seoul: The total amount of dividends paid by South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is likely to fall this year from 2014, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The person, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject, added that last year`s sharp increase in payout was in response to government efforts to lift the economy and increase shareholder value.

Samsung Electronics last month announced an end-2014 dividend of 19,500 won per common share, an increase of 41 percent from a year earlier. Factoring in an earlier interim dividend, the total 2014 payout was up 40 percent, at 20,000 won per common share.