At the same time company has managed to deliver a 7.20% average annual increase in its EPS since 1998.
The ROE has increased from 29% in 1998 to 36% in 2007.
Annual dividend payments have increased over the past 10 years by an average of 8.10% each year, which is higher than the growth in EPS. An 8% growth in dividends translates into the dividend payment doubling almost every 9 years. DEO has indeed managed to double its annual dividend payment of $1.395 in 1999 last year (2007).