ITC Limited's board of directors recommended a final dividend of Rs 8 per share for the financial year ended March 31, 2026. The FMCG major fixed Wednesday, 27 May, as the record date for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the members for the final dividend.The dividend payment will be subject to shareholders' approval at the 115th Annual General Meeting of the company, which has been convened for Thursday, July 23, 2026, and will be paid between Friday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 29, 2026.Together with the interim dividend of Rs 6.50 per ordinary share declared by the board on January 29, the total dividend for the financial year ended March 31, 2026, would be Rs 14.50 per ordinary share.The FMCG major ITC on Thursday reported a 5% year-on-year (YoY) growth in its standalone net profit at Rs 5,113 crore for the March-ended quarter, compared to Rs 4,875 crore in the year-ago quarter. The company's board has also recommended a final dividend of Rs 8 per share for the financial year ended March 2026Revenue from operations for the fourth quarter rose 17% YoY to Rs 21,695 crore from Rs 18,495 crore in the same period a year ago.Profit before tax rose 4% YoY to Rs 6,694 crore from Rs 6,417 crore in Q4 FY25. Total expenses during the quarter increased to Rs 15,656 crore from Rs 12,873 crore a year earlier.The increase was largely driven by higher excise duty, raw material costs and other operating expenses.Excise duty during the quarter jumped sharply to Rs 5,644 crore from Rs 1,246 crore in the year-ago period following recent taxation changes in cigarettes. Employee benefit expenses rose 6% YoY to Rs 922 crore, while other expenses increased to Rs 2,928 crore from Rs 2,581 crore.ITC’s cigarettes business remained the largest contributor to profitability. Revenue from the FMCG-cigarettes segment rose 32% YoY to Rs 11,066 crore during the quarter, compared with Rs 8,400 crore a year ago.Also read: ITC Q4 Results: Profit rises 5% YoY to Rs 5,113 crore; Rs 8/share dividend declaredSegment profit from cigarettes increased 7% YoY to Rs 5,488 crore from Rs 5,118 crore in Q4 FY25. The sharp rise in revenue partly reflected the impact of higher taxation flowing through gross sales.(Disclaimer: The recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)