NEW YORK, June 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Dow Jones Indices ("S&P DJI") announced today preliminary results showing that S&P 500^® Q1 2016 stock buybacks, or share repurchases, increased 12% to $161.4 billion, up from the $144.1 billion reported in Q1 2015. Q1 2016 was the second largest expenditure on record, following the $172 billion spent in Q3 2007.

For the 12-months ending in March 2016, S&P 500 issues spent $589.4 billion on buybacks, up 9.5% from the $538.1 billion spent in the same period of 2015. The 12-month expenditure set a new S&P 500 record, replacing the $589.1 billion spent in 2007.

Quarter-over-quarter comparison shows that the $161.4 billion spent on share repurchases in Q1 2016 is a 10.6% from the $145.9 billion posted in Q4 2015.

Historical S&P 500 buyback data can be found at: www.spdji.com/indices/equity/sp-500. 

According to S&P Dow Jones Indices:

• The $161.4 billion spent in Q1 2016 represents a 10.6% increase from Q4 2015 and a 12% increase from Q1 2015.
• For the 12-month period ending March 2016, S&P 500 issues increased their buyback expenditures by 9.5%, to $589.4 billion, up from $538.1 billion posted for the corresponding 2015 period, setting a new 12-month record, replacing the record set in December 2007 ($589.1 billion).
• The Health care sector increased 86.1% to $30.6 billion for the quarter, up from the prior quarter's $16.5 billion, as Gilead Sciences (GILD) spent $8 billion (ranking as the 18^th largest in S&P 500 history).
• The Energy sector conducted only minor buybacks ($2.1 billion), as it posted a 20.6% decline for the quarter and a 62.9% decline from Q1 2015.
• For the ninth consecutive quarter, more than 20% of the S&P 500 issues reduced their year-over-year diluted share count by at least 4%, therefore boosting their earnings-per-share (EPS) by at least 4%. The participation rate for significant EPS impact rose to 28.2% for Q1 2016, up from 25.8% in Q4 2015.
• Total shareholder return, dividends plus buybacks, set a quarterly record of $257.6 billion in Q1 2016 and a 12-month record of $974.6 billion for the period ending in March 2016.

"The Q4 2015 uptick in buybacks was a surprise to many in the market, but it continued in Q1 2016," said Howard Silverblatt, Senior Index Analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices. "The pace of buybacks was partially driven by companies supporting their stock during the opening downturn of the year, which coincidentally started in early February when many earnings lock-ups ended. The upswing in both expenditures and participation appears to persist in the market, meaning that the upturn in Q4 was not a single-shot. Looking at Q2 2016, the share count reduction trend is already baked in, as more than 20% of the issues have reduced their share count by at least 4% from Q2 2015."

Additionally, S&P Dow Jones Indices' data shows:

• Issues reducing their share count this quarter increased to 334 from 318 in Q4 2015 and 299 in Q1 2015.
• Significant changes (generally considered 1% or greater for the quarter) remained strong, as 147 issues reduced their share count by at least 1%, compared to 152 in Q4 2015 and 116 in Q1 2015.
• Year-over-year share count reduction (impacts of at least 4%) increased for the fifth consecutive quarter, to 139, up from 120 in Q4 2015 and 104 in Q1 2015.

Total Shareholder Returns:

Silverblatt notes that total shareholder return through regular cash dividends, as well as buybacks, set a record quarter at $257.6 billion, up from the previous record of $245.3 billion, which was set in Q4 2015. Dividends, which had posted seven consecutive quarters of record payments, declined in Q1 2016, as energy dividend cuts pulled the aggregate down. For the 12-month period ending March 2016, companies returned a record $974.6 billion in buybacks and dividends to investors, marking its fourth consecutive record and surpassing the prior record (annual or 12-months) of $954.6 billion, set in Q4 2015.

According to Silverblatt, cash reserves also set a new record, increasing 1.6%, as S&P 500 Industrial (Old) available cash and equivalent now stands at $1.347 trillion, up 1.1% from the prior record $1.333 trillion set at the end of 2014. Silverblatt adds that the current cash level is 86 weeks of expected 2016 operating income, giving corporations leeway in their expenditures.

"Shareholder returns continue to increase, as companies remain awash with cash and have access to low-cost financing – especially in Europe and Asia," said Silverblatt. "The rate of dividend increases has slowed, as commodity-based issues remain a major uncertainty. Given the current cash-flow, projections, and an expected slow and measured pace of interest rate increases in the U.S. by the FOMC, companies have the ability to increase returns, as they remain under continued pressure from outside investors."

Sectors:

Information Technology continued to dominate buybacks (and cash holdings), even as their percentage of Q1 S&P 500 buybacks decreased to 21.5% from 24.4% in Q4 2015. Energy continued to decline, falling to 1.3%, from 1.8% in Q4 2015 and 8.2% in Q1 2014. Health care increased 86.1%, accounting for 19% of all buybacks, up from 11.3% in Q4 2015 and 14.5% in Q1 2015. Also notable was Consumer Staples, which declined by 28.6% to $11.7 billion, down from $16.4 billion in Q4 2015.

For the quarter, Gilead Sciences (GILD) spent the most at $8 billion, up from their prior quarter's $3.1 billion, marking the 18^th largest quarterly buyback by an S&P 500 constituent in history. Apple (AAPL) was second, with $6.7 billion, slightly down from its prior quarter's $6.9 billion. General Electric (GE) came in third with $6.3 billion, up from its prior quarter's $1.7 billion. Pfizer (PFE) and McDonald's (MCD) rounded out the top five, spending $5 billion and $4.3 billion, respectively. Exxon Mobil (XOM) ranked 58^th, down from last quarter's ranking of 53rd, with $0.73 billion, continuing its retreat from the $3.9 billion it spent in the Q1 2014 when oil was averaging $100/barrel.

For more information about S&P Dow Jones Indices, please visit www.spdji.com

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SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices