10 Companies Increasing Dividends

by Jim Woods | May 25, 2012 9:44 am

Earnings season is beginning to wind down, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of high-profile companies moving to increase shareholder wealth. This week’s batch of dividend divas includes a fashion icon, an agribusiness giant, a leading specialty chemical maker, and one of the most famous brand names in the food industry. Here are 10 companies increasing dividends:

Specialty-chemical maker Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH[1]) went into its fiscal lab and came out with a 29% higher quarterly payout. The new dividend of 22.5 cents per share is payable June 15 to shareholders of record as of June 1. The new dividend yield, based on the May 18 closing price of $61.32 (the day the dividend was announced), is 1.47%.

Helicopter-services firm Bristow Group (NYSE:BRS[2]) serves clients in the offshore-energy industry, and this week the company shuttled shareholders a 33.3% increase in its quarterly dividend. The new payout of 20 cents per share is payable June 15 to shareholders of record as of June 5. The new dividend yield, based on the May 23 closing price of $45.27, is 1.77%

Agribusiness giant Bunge Ltd. (NYSE:BG[3]) planted a new dividend that represents an 8% larger seed than the prior payout. The new dividend of 27 cents per share is payable Sept. 4 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 21. The new dividend yield, based on the May 24 closing price of $60.49, is 1.79%.

Filtration-systems maker Donaldson Co. (NYSE:DCI[4]) put on its fiscal filter and sifted out a 12.5% larger quarterly payout. The new dividend of 9 cents per share is payable June 29 to shareholders of record as of June 8. The new dividend yield, based on the May 23 closing price of $35.94, is 1%. Donaldson has paid dividends each quarter for the past 56 years.

Discount-footwear retailer DSW Inc. (NYSE:DSW[5]) outfitted shareholders with a new pair of dividend shoes, lifting its payout by 20%, to 18 cents per share. The new dividend will be paid June 29 to shareholders of record as of June 19. The new dividend yield, based on the May 22 closing price of $61.23, is 1.18%.

Ketchup and food maker HJ Heinz Co. (NYSE:HNZ[6]) poured out a 7.3% increase in its quarterly dividend sauce. The new payment of 51.5 cents per share will come out of the bottle July 10 to shareholders of record as of June 24. The new dividend yield, based on the May 24 closing price of $53.55, is 3.85%.

Auto-repair company Monro Muffler (NASDAQ:MNRO[7]) boosted the horsepower of its quarterly payout by 11.3%, to 10 cents per share. The new payout will be made on June 14 to shareholders of record as of June 4. The new dividend yield, based on the May 24 closing price of $33.87, is 1.18%.

Oregon-based power-generation company Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR[8]) turned up the voltage on its dividend, boosting its quarterly payout 1.89%, to 27.5 cents per share. The new payment will be made on or before July 16 to shareholders of record as of June 25. The new dividend yield, based on the May 24 closing price of $24.97, is 4.33%.

Iconic American fashion retailer Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL[9]) delivered a new polo pony to shareholders that was a 100% increase over the previous payout. The newly doubled dividend of 40 cents per share is payable July 13 to shareholders of record as of June 29. The new dividend yield, based on the May 22 closing price of $150.27, is 1.06%.

Commercial insurance holding company W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB[10]) upped the premium it pays to shareholders by 12.5%, to 9 cents per share. The new payout will be made on July 3 to shareholders of record as of June 12. The new dividend yield, based on the May 22 closing price of $38.46, is .94%.

At the time of publication, Jim Woods held no positions in any of the stocks mentioned in this article.

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