Smurfit ups its dividend by 50pc as 
profits grow

Gary McGann

John Mulligan

Packaging giant Smurfit Kappa has raised its interim dividend by 50pc after delivering a 9pc rise in earnings to €295m during the second quarter.

It said revenue for the period was flat at just over €2bn, but that earnings per share soared 90pc to 33.6 cent year-on-year in the second quarter as its margins strengthened.