Fourteen FTSE 100 companies will distribute a total of £2.2bn to shareholders in November, and two names account for around three-quarters of the money. British American Tobacco and Tesco dominate the month's dividend calendar, according to interactive investor.

The biggest single payout landed on 6 November, when British American Tobacco distributed £1.3bn — 61.26p a share — in the third leg of its plan to pay that amount every quarter until next February. The tobacco group has lifted its annual dividend for 26 years in a row and yields about 5.3%. Its next payment, also 61.26p, is due on 3 February 2027, according to Hargreaves Lansdown dividend data.

Tesco follows on 20 November with a 5.05p payout, up 5.2% on a year earlier and in line with its policy of paying 35% of the previous full year's dividend. The supermarket yields about 2.7%.

The contrast with housebuilding is stark. Just £14m of November's total comes from the sector after Barratt Redrow cut its full-year payout to a nominal 1p a share, due on 13 November, against £172m last year. Persimmon pays an unchanged 20p on 6 November, worth about £62m, while Taylor Wimpey pays a reduced 1.2p on 13 November, worth about £42m.

The highest-yielding stock on the November calendar is Tritax Big Box REIT at 5.5%, paying the third of its quarterly 2p distributions on 27 November. Weir, Spirax Group, Smiths Group and JD Sports Fashion also pay during the month. Past dividends are no guarantee of future payouts, and yields move with share prices.