13 Companies Increasing Dividends

It was a massive week for corporate earnings, as dozens of high-profile companies told Wall Street how they performed in the third quarter. Big-cap market bellwethers such as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and General Electric (NYSE:GE) disappointed, while Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) bested expectations.

The market waxed and waned between bull and bear this week, as traders digested the competing earnings news. And in what has become a familiar exhortation during the past several months, word that European leaders are closer to agreeing on a deal to backstop Europe’s debt issues helped spur some buying. Against the backdrop of big earnings news and European debt discussions was a flood of companies increasing dividends. Here are 13 firms pumping out higher payouts to shareholders:

Barnes Group

Logistics services provider and aerospace components makers Barnes Group (NYSE:B) planned a flight for its quarterly dividend, increasing its payout by 25% to 10 cents per share. The new dividend is payable Dec. 9 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 30. The new dividend yield, based on the Oct. 20 closing price (the day Barnes announced the dividend) of $21.35, is 1.87%.

Brown & Brown

Insurance industry intermediary Brown & Brown (NYSE:BRO) moved to care for its shareholders by increasing its quarterly dividend 6.25% to 8.5 cents per share. The new boosted payout will be made on Nov. 16 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 2. The new dividend yield, based on the Oct. 19 closing price of $20, is 1.7%. Barnes made the announcement along with its earnings report, which showed a 5% increase in third-quarter revenue along with earnings per share that met expectations.

Cintas

Corporate uniform maker Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) stitched together a 10.2% increase in its annual dividend to 54 cents per share. The new payout will be made on Dec. 14 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 11. The new dividend yield, based on the Oct. 18 closing price of $29.25, is 1.85%. The company also said its board approved a new share repurchase program, authorizing it to buy back up to $500 million of Cintas common stock at market prices.