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Highlights

  • Rio Tinto declared a reduced dividend of US$1.48 per share, with yield still estimated between 5.5% and 6.8%.
  • Glencore maintained a 2.4% dividend yield, supplemented by share buybacks amid weaker coal and trading profits.
  • Anglo American cut its interim dividend to $0.07 per share following a US$1.9 billion first-half loss.

The FTSE 350 mining sector remains a key source of dividends in 2025, though payout trends vary across companies. Rio Tinto (LSE:RIO), Glencore (LSE:GLEN), and Anglo American (LSE:AAL) continue shareholder distributions, but commodity swings, restructuring, and profit pressures have influenced yields and dividend adjustments this year.

Rio Tinto (LSE:RIO) continues to provide one of the highest dividend yields in the FTSE 350 mining sector, currently estimated between 5.5% and 6.8%. In the first half of 2025, the company declared a dividend of US$1.48 per share, down from US$1.77 per share a year earlier. While lower, the payout remains well-covered by cash flows from its copper and aluminium businesses, helping offset weaker iron ore earnings and weather-related disruptions in Australia.

Glencore (LSE:GLEN) has delivered comparatively modest dividends, with its trailing yield standing near 2.4%. The group supplements these distributions with share buyback programmes, adjusting capital returns in response to volatile coal and trading profits. In 2025, Glencore’s payout has been constrained by weaker commodity prices, placing it behind peers such as Rio Tinto in terms of yield, though it retains flexibility to scale returns when market conditions improve.

Anglo American (LSE:AAL) has seen the sharpest reduction in dividends among the major miners. After reporting a US$1.9 billion loss in the first half of 2025, the company cut its interim dividend to $0.07 per share, compared with $0.42 in the prior year. The decision reflects the impact of restructuring initiatives and lower earnings in its iron ore and platinum divisions. Despite remaining a significant dividend payer within the FTSE 350, Anglo American’s yield has narrowed to around 2.1–2.2%, considerably below previous levels.