South Africa’s Rainbow Chicken Limited reported its full-year financial results for the year ended June 28, 2026, and declared ordinary and special dividends, the company said in a Johannesburg Stock Exchange announcement. The poultry and animal feed producer posted a 7.7% increase in revenue to R17.1 billion and a 134.8% rise in earnings to R1.34 billion, driven by improved profitability and operational performance.
Rainbow Chicken Limited declared a final ordinary dividend of 45 cents per share and a special dividend of 75 cents per share for the financial year ended June 28, 2026, bringing the total distribution to 135 cents per share, according to the company’s announcement on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The dividends are gross cash payments per ordinary share and are subject to South African dividend withholding tax where applicable, officials said.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) more than doubled, rising 101.8% to R2.13 billion, while net earnings increased by 134.8% to R1.34 billion.
The company reported revenue growth of 7.7% year-on-year to R17.1 billion for the 12 months ended June 28, 2026, supported by improved operational performance and profitability, records show. Headline earnings per share (HEPS) rose 130.1% to 150.87 cents, and earnings per share (EPS) climbed 133.5% to 149.55 cents per share, according to the group’s financial results released via a Stock Exchange News Service (SENS) announcement.
Rainbow Chicken’s cash and cash equivalents stood at R2.4 billion as of June 28, 2026, up from R1.8 billion at the end of the previous financial year, the company reported. Management cited the strengthened cash position as a key factor enabling the declaration of both ordinary and special dividends. The improved cash flow generation follows operating cash flows of approximately R1.9 billion reported for the prior year, which supported the company’s first annual dividend since listing, sources confirmed.
For the six-month period ended December 28, 2025, Rainbow Chicken declared an interim gross cash dividend of 15 cents per ordinary share, marking the first interim dividend in its stand-alone cycle, officials said. This interim payout preceded the larger final dividends declared for the full year and reflected the company’s sustained earnings growth, with half-year earnings more than doubling to R669.6 million and HEPS reaching 74.81 cents, according to media reports and company disclosures.
Rainbow Chicken listed independently on the JSE in June 2024 following an unbundling from RCL Foods, which distributed approximately 890.3 million Rainbow shares to RCL shareholders on a one-for-one basis, records indicate. The company’s financial year runs from June 29 to June 28, aligning with its June year-end reporting schedule. Prior to the unbundling, Rainbow was part of RCL Foods, which had resumed dividend payments with a 20-cent interim dividend for the six months ended December 2024 after a period of suspended payouts.
In the year ended June 29, 2025, Rainbow Chicken’s revenue increased 9% to R15.8 billion, with EBITDA rising 66.2% to about R1.06 billion and headline earnings reaching R584.8 million, reflecting early operational recovery. The board declared an annual gross cash dividend of 20 cents per share for that year, the company’s first since listing, according to previous financial statements and market disclosures.
The company’s dividend policy has evolved from no ordinary dividends in the 2024 financial year to 20 cents per share in 2025 and a combined 135 cents per share for 2026, reflecting growing confidence in earnings sustainability, officials said. The improved profitability and cash generation underpin the scaling up of shareholder payouts, according to Rainbow Chicken’s investor communications.
Return on invested capital improved to R571.2 million and 16.3% in the 2025 financial year, indicating strengthening capital efficiency ahead of the larger payouts in 2026, sources confirmed. The company’s operational focus on poultry and animal feed production remains central to its financial performance and dividend capacity.
Rainbow Chicken’s 2026 full-year results and dividend declarations follow the company’s strategic transition to a stand-alone entity after its separation from RCL Foods. The unbundling transaction and subsequent listing have positioned Rainbow to report independently on its financial performance and shareholder returns, as detailed in its official SENS release titled “Group financial results for the year ended 28 June 2026 and declaration of ordinary and special dividends.”
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