Top 3 Swiss Dividends in Kind
To conclude my series on stock dividends, I would like to give you an overview: below you will find a list of many Swiss companies offering a stock dividend. In addition, I present the top 3 Swiss stock dividends here.
During my research on non-cash dividends in Switzerland, I came across many interesting companies. I was surprised by some of them, such as the Bell Food Group: on the one hand, that it has a shareholder gift at all and, on the other, that it offers meat-free products under the Eisberg brand, for example, in addition to its well-known house brand Bell. The shareholder gift from Jungfraubahn Holding took me to the beautiful mountain landscape of Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland.
Three companies were by far the most frequently mentioned for their original non-cash dividends. The top three Swiss non-cash dividends are:
- Chocolate case – Lindt & Sprüngli.
- Shareholder’s watch – Swatch
- Shareholder pyjamas – Calida
This did not surprise me much in a country known for chocolate, watches and mountains. The chocolate case or Schoggikoffer – as it is called in the local dialect – has absolute cult status and is, so to speak, the star among the non-cash dividends. Unfortunately, it is not that easy to get hold of the coveted Schoggikoffer. The Lindt & Sprüngli share is not the most expensive Share – that honour goes to Berkshire Hathaway, the company of Warren Buffett, with a share price of USD 432,000. With a current share price of CHF 95,800, the Lindt & Sprüngli share is by far the most expensive share in Switzerland. One question remains unanswered for me: How did pyjamas make it into the top three? I couldn’t find a satisfactory explanation for this, but it’s probably because Calida is known for another Swiss quality: good value. Another thing these shareholder gifts have in common is that they can be used or worn in everyday life.
| Company | ISIN | Share price in CHF | Shares required | Costs | Dividends in kind | Value* | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lind & Sprüngli | CH0010570759 | 95’800.00 | 1 | 95’800.00 | chocolate case | 250.00 | 0.26% |
| Swatch registered share | CH0012255144 | 45.30 | 1 | 45.30 | Swatch -watch | 30.00 | 66.23% |
| Calida | CH0126639464 | 42.00 | 20 | 840 | Calida-Pyjama | 90.00 | 10.71% |
*indicative
There are many companies that do their Shareholder a favour by distributing a wide range of dividends in kind. Thanks to the mountain railways, the Swiss mountains are well represented in the dividends in kind. The annual general meetings of local breweries are also very popular – in the Basel region, for example, the brauerei Unser Bier brewery is well known for its legendary annual general meetings with all-you-can-drink beer.
In the next section, I have compiled a non-exhaustive list of other Swiss companies with dividends in kind.
List of Swiss Companies with Dividends in Kind
| Company | ISIN | Share price in CHF | Required shares | Dividends in kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Schinznach | CH0003857031 | 2’050.00 | 1 | Vouchers for admission |
| Basler Brauerei Unser Bier | over the counter | 300.00 | 1 | Bier à discrétion |
| Bell Food Group | CH0315966322 | 246.50 | 1 | Vouchers |
| Bergbahnen Adelboden | CH0303601253 | 2.55 | 25 | Day ticket and restaurant vouchers |
| Bergbahnen Engelberg-Truebsee-Titlis | CH0527044959 | 41.60 | 10 | Concessions |
| Calida | CH0126639464 | 42.00 | 20 | Pyjama |
| Caran D’Ache | CH0001570057 | 18’900.00 | 1 | Products for at least 100 francs |
| Dolder Grand Hotel | CH0001665147 | 2’195.00 | 1 | 100 Swiss francs food voucher |
| Hapimag | over the counter | 2’263.00 | 1 | Residential rights in a holiday resort |
| Hypothekarbank Lenzburg | CH0001341608 | 4’120.00 | 1 | Gifts |
| Jungfraubahn | CH0017875789 | 114.00 | 1 | Shareholder vouchers |
| Lindt & Sprüngli | CH0010570759 | 95’800.00 | 1 | Chocolate case |
| Loeb AG | CH0002045497 | 221.00 | 1 | Circus show |
| Luftseilbahn Grindelwald-Pfingstegg | CH0002052782 | 1’175.00 | 1 | Return journeys |
| Neue Zürcher Zeitung | CH0126517975 | 7’400.00 | 1 | Gift |
| Nidwaldner Kantonalbank | CH0001344685 | 2’750.00 | 1 | Original Nidwaldner fried cheese |
| Parkhotel Giessbach | CH0002174057 | – | 1 | Voucher for drinks and food & discounts |
| Pilatus-Bahnen | CH0009005973 | 2’675.00 | 1 | Free ticket |
| Rigi Bahnen | CH0016290014 | 9.95 | 1 | Day tickets |
| Säntis-Schwebebahn | CH0000975372 | 920.00 | 1 | Return trips to the Säntis mountain |
| Schilthornbahn | CH0002276266 | 1’295.00 | 1 | Return journey to the Schilthorn |
| SGV Holding | CH0421720779 | 258.00 | 1 | Day tickets, 1st class free rides and prepaid cards |
| Sunstar Hotels | CH0197490847 | 759.00 | 1 | Voucher for overnight accommodation |
| Swatch | CH0012255144 | 45.30 | 1 | Shareholder watch |
| Thermalbad Zurzach | CH0596918380 | 306.00 | 1 | Entry voucher and food/drink voucher |
| Zoo Zürich | CH0008895044 | 200.00 | 1 | Free admission |
| Zoologischer Garten Basel | CH0002655501 | 11’000.00 | 1 | Annual subscription |
There are many other companies that offer generous refreshments at their annual general meetings. If I have forgotten your favourite dividend in kind, please let me know in the comments.
