The fourth quarter and full year financial reports for the 2024 fiscal year released by Alibaba Group on May 14th show that the Alibaba Board of Directors has approved the distribution of dividends for the 2024 fiscal year, including regular cash dividends and one-time special cash dividends, with a total dividend payout of approximately $4 billion. At the same time, Alibaba continues to implement its share buyback plan and continuously improves shareholder returns.
According to the financial report, Alibaba's regular cash dividends for the fiscal year 2024 were $0.125 per common share or $1 per American depositary share, respectively. As a one-time special cash dividend distributed for the disposal of certain financial investment income, the amount is $0.0825 per ordinary share or $0.66 per American depositary share, both of which are paid in US dollars to holders of ordinary shares and American depositary shares. This is Alibaba's second announcement of annual dividends, with a total annual dividend of approximately $2.5 billion for the fiscal year 2023.
As of the quarter ended March 31, 2024, according to the share repurchase plan, Alibaba repurchased 524 million shares of common stock (equivalent to 65 million American Depositary Shares) for a total of $4.8 billion, with a significantly increased repurchase intensity compared to the previous quarter. After considering the issuance of shares under the employee stock ownership plan, Alibaba's outstanding shares decreased by a net 2.6% in the quarter.
As of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, Alibaba repurchased a total of 1.249 billion shares of common stock (equivalent to 156 million American depositary shares) for a total amount of $12.5 billion. After considering the shares issued under the employee stock ownership plan, the repurchases resulted in a net decrease of 5.1% in Alibaba's outstanding shares.