Italian oil major Eni hiked its dividend on Friday and held out the prospect of a share buyback after promising higher growth in production and more cash. The logo of Italian oil and gas group. Eni was the first oil major to cut its dividend three years ago after a steep decline in the oil price forced the industry to tighten its belt. But as crude prices recover, the focus of the world’s biggest oil companies is slowly shifting from slashing jobs and investment to boosting shareholder returns and growth. So far this year, Total has raised dividends, BP flagged a resumption of share buybacks and Shell scrapped its scrip dividend. State-controlled Eni said in its new business plan to 2021 that it would pay a dividend this year […]