16 Companies Increasing Dividends

Advertisement

Earnings season is in full swing, and this week we’ve seen a deluge of big companies releasing results for the prior quarter. Earnings have largely been a mixed bag so far, with several high-profile companies — including Citigroup (NYSE: C), General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) — falling short of expectations. But there’s been no shortage of companies boosting payouts to shareholders. Here are 16 companies that increased dividends this week.

Energy-services supplier Alliant Energy (NYSE:LNT) increased the voltage on its dividend, boosting its quarterly payout to 45 cents per share from 42.5 cents. The new dividend is payable on Feb. 15 to shareowners of record as of Jan. 31. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 13 closing price of $42.87 (the day the company announced the dividend), is 4.20%. Alliant hasn’t missed a dividend payment since 1946.

The nation’s biggest propane company, Amerigas Partners (NYSE:APU), powered up its payout to shareholders, increasing its distribution by 3% to 76.25 cents per unit. The new distribution is payable Feb. 17 to unitholders of record Feb. 10. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 18 closing price of $41.78, is 7.30%.

Petroleum reservoir services firm Core Labs (NYSE:CLB) added to shareholders’ reservoirs, increasing their dividend by 12% to 28 cents per share. The new payment will be made on Feb. 24 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 24. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 13 closing price of $109.99, is 1.02%. The payout is subject to Dutch withholding tax, which will be deducted from the dividend at a rate of 15%.

Natural gas giant Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) turned up the flame on its distribution by 5.1% to 62 cents per unit. The new distribution will be paid Feb. 9 to unitholders of record as of Jan. 31. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 17 closing price of $47.59, is 5.21%. The increased distribution marks the 39th time the company has upped its payout since going public in 1998.

Deep-discount retailer Family Dollar Stores (NYSE:FDO) gave its shareholders a present in the form of a 21 cent-per-share dividend, which represents a 16.7% increase in its quarterly dividend. The new payout will be made on Apr. 13 to shareholders of record as of March 15. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 19 closing price of $55.06, is 1.53%.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST), the maker of nuts, bolts and hardware, fastened shareholders with a new 17 cent-per-share payout vs. the prior payment of 14 cents. The new dividend is payable Feb. 29 to shareholders of record on Feb. 1. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 17 closing price of $46.79, is 1.45%. The hardware seller has paid a dividend in every year since 1991, and began paying semi-annual dividends in 2003. Fastenal began paying dividends quarterly in 2011.

Pipeline transportation and energy storage firm Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) delivered a 7% increase to shareholders, as the company upped its payout to 31 cents per share. The new dividend is payable Feb. 15 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 31. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 18 closing price of $32.83, is 3.78%.

Integrated circuit manufacturer Linear Technology (NASDAQ:LLTC) integrated an increased dividend into shareholders’ portfolios, upping its payout by approximately 3% to 25 cents per share. The new dividend will be handed out Feb. 29 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 17. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 17 closing price of $29.87, is 3.35%. The increase marks the 20th consecutive year the company has increased its dividend.

Publishing giant McGraw-Hill (NYSE:MHP) released an updated version of its quarterly dividend, increasing its payout 2% to 25.5 cents per share. The new dividend will be payable on March 12 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 27. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 18 closing price of $46.04, is 2.22%. This is the 39th consecutive annual increase in the company’s quarterly cash dividend.

Business apparel retailer Men’s Wearhouse (NYSE:MW) took steps to guarantee shareholders will look good. The company put on a new dividend suit, increasing its payout 50% to 18 cents a share. The new dividend will be paid on March 23 to shareholders of record as of March 13. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 19 closing price of $34.76, is 2.07%.

Diversified energy MLP Oneok Partners (NYSE:OKS) increased its distribution 9% to 61 cents per unit. The increased distribution is payable Feb. 14 to unitholders of record as of Jan. 31. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 19 closing price of $55.57, is 4.39%.

Life science industry equipment maker Pall (NYSE:PLL) gave its dividend some life, increasing its payout 20% to 21 cents per share. The new dividend is payable on Feb. 21 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 7. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 19 closing price of $60.22, is 1.39%. This is the eighth consecutive year the company has increased its cash payment to shareholders.

Oil and gas services bellwether Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) moved to service shareholders, pumping out a 10% increase in its quarterly payout to 27.5 cents per share. The new dividend is payable Apr. 13 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 22. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 19 closing price of $72.86, is 1.51%. The company also said it repurchased 9.2 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $69.42, for a total purchase price of $635 million.

Newspaper publisher Washington Post (NYSE:WPO) raised its quarterly dividend by a dime per issue to $2.45 per share. The new payout will hit shareholder newsstands Feb. 10 and will be delivered to owners of record as of Jan. 30. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 19 closing price of $394.55, is 2.48%.

Western Gas Partners (NYSE:WES) turned up the gas on its quarterly distribution by 16% to 44 cents per unit. The midstream energy operator’s new distribution is payable on Feb. 13 to unit holders of record as of Feb. 1. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 18 closing price of $39.37, is 4.47%.

Energy infrastructure behemoth Williams Cos. (NYSE:WMB) more than doubled its quarterly dividend, boosting its payout to 25.87 cents per share. The lifted dividend is payable March 26 to shareholders of record as of March 9. The new dividend yield, based on the Jan. 19 closing price of $28.74, is 3.62%.

As of publication, Jim Woods held no positions in any of the stocks mentioned here.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2012/01/16-companies-increasing-dividends/.

©2024 InvestorPlace Media, LLC