30 Blue Chips Increasing Dividends in Q1

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Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.74/share	5.7%	4.01%	April 3	March 9

Kinder Morgan (KMI)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.31/share	7%	3.21%	Feb. 15	Jan. 31

Lorillard (LO)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$1.55/share	19%	4.79%	March 9	March 1

American tobacco company Lorillard (NYSE:LO) kept up the industry’s strong track record of dividends when it increased its payout this year. Lorillard’s dividends have grown by over 50% since its original 92-cent payout in 2008, and the company yields a solid 4.75%.

Marathon Oil (MRO)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.17/share	13%	2.15%	March 12	Feb. 16

MasterCard (MA)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.30/share	100%	0.29%	May 9	April 9

MasterCard (NYSE:MA) shareholders got a pleasant surprise Feb. 7 when the company announced it was doubling its dividend, and the news sent MA shares to all-time highs above $390. (They’ve since climbed to around $425.) Still, despite the hike, MasterCard remains a virtual non-option for income investors at a paltry 0.3% yield.

Mosaic (MOS)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.50/share	150%	0.36%	TBD*	TBD
* Expected to be announced in AprilNote: Mosaic pays its dividend annually

Occidental Petroleum (OXY)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.54/share	17%	2.27%	April 15	March 9

Qualcomm (QCOM)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.25/share	16%	0.47%	March 23	March 2

Staples (SPLS)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.11/share	10%	2.72%	April 12	March 23

The Gap (GPS)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.125/share	11.1%	1.91%	April 27	April 5

Time Warner (TWX)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.26/share	11%	2.75%	March 15	Feb. 29

Time Warner Cable (TWC)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.56/share	17%	2.75%	March 15	Feb. 29

The Time Warner banner saw dividend increases across both Time Warner (NYSE:TWX) and the spun-off Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC). Time Warner has consistently increased its dividend for years, with its payout climbing 400% since its 5.5-cent dividend in 2007. Both stocks yield 2.75%.

United Parcel Service (UPS)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.57/share	9.6%	2.82%	March 7	Feb. 21

Wal-Mart Stores (WMT)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.3975/share	9%	2.60%	April 4	March 12

Wal-Mart‘s (NYSE:WMT) dividend has tripled since 2004, with its latest boost putting the payout around 40 cents per share. The company will pay about $5.52 billion to shareholders in fiscal 2013.

WellPoint (WLP)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment Date	Record Date
$0.2875/share	15%	1.56%	March 23	March 9

Health insurer WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) followed on the heels of industry mates UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) and Aetna (NYSE:AET) last year and started paying a dividend of 25 cents per share and also began a stock-buyback program. This year it took another step forward and bumped up its dividend by 15%.

Wells Fargo (WFC)
New Payout	% Increase	Yield as of 3/30	Payment date	Record date
$0.22/share	83%	2.58%	March 30	March 26

Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) joined the host of banks joining the payout parade after the stress-test results, and it also announced it will buy back more stock than it did in 2011.

Kyle Woodley is the assistant editor of InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. Follow him on Twitter at @KyleWoodley.