Nordic American Tankers has provided shareholders with a bigger-than-expected dividend despite a slump in third-quarter earnings, as the company pointed to signs that the final three months of the year will see strong results.

The New York-listed suezmax tanker owner reported net income of $7.49m for the third quarter, a drop from the $10m reported a year earlier.

But Evercore ISI analyst Jonathan Chappell said the earnings per share of $0.04