Major South Korean companies have remained stingy about paying dividends over the past few years, while smaller firms have delivered a relatively high percentage of returns to their shareholders in the form of dividends, data showed Monday.

According to Chaebul.com, which tracks the nation’s big business groups, a total of 25 companies had a dividend yield ratio of over 5 percent in the 2011-2013 period, a mere 1.4 percent of the 1,785 companies listed on South Korea’s stock market.

In the cited period, 154 companies had average dividend yields of over 3 percent.

Dividend yield is the ratio of dividends per share to the current share price, representing an investor’s earnings in the form of dividends.

The listed firms’ average dividend yield ratio was 0.82 percent during the cited period, which is smaller than interest on a one-year fixed deposit, the research firm noted.

Most of the companies with dividend yield ratios of over 3 percent were small companies rather than companies affiliated with family-run conglomerates, which wield enormous influence on the nation’s economy.

Duckyang Industry Co., an auto interiors supplier, posted the highest dividend yield ratio over the last three years, with 17.03 percent.

In terms of dividend amount per share, Hankook Shell Oil, the local unit of global oil and gas giant Royal Dutch Shell, topped the list with a dividend payout per share of 19,000 won ($18.30) in the 2011-2013 period. (Yonhap)