Marks and Spencer Group PLC (LSE:MKS) has made UBS’s latest list of “high-quality dividend stocks”, a screen of global companies the bank believes offer reliable income and are unlikely to cut payouts.
The retailer, which yields 2.8% and has a market cap of £9.4bn, stands out among the European names picked by UBS analysts, who applied both quantitative models and fundamental analysis to identify stocks with stable dividends and growth potential.
Other picks include Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk and Norsk Hydro in Europe, alongside big US names such as McDonald’s, JPMorgan and FedEx.
UBS forecasts that dividend growth will be strongest in Japan this year, while the US remains the safest region for dividend cuts, with just a 6.3% risk. Europe, by contrast, looks more fragile.
Marks shares were trading 1.7% higher at 358.2p against a generally dour market backdrop.