Johnson & Johnson,
Southern Co., and
Costco Wholesale
were among the large U.S. companies that announced dividend increases this week.
Johnson & Johnson (ticker: JNJ) said it plans to boost its quarterly disbursement to $1.19 a share from $1.13. That’s an increase of 5%.
The stock, which yields 2.9%, has a one-year return of minus 9%, including dividends, through the close on Thursday, compared with minus 6% for the
S&P 500.
This marks the 61st straight year in which the company will have raised the quarterly dividend. The next dividend is payable on June 6 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 23.
Southern Co. (SO), a large utility based in Atlanta, said it plans to raise its quarterly payout to 70 cents a share, up 2 cents, or 3%, from 68 cents. That’s an increase of eight cents a share on an annualized basis to $2.80.
The quarterly dividend is payable on June 6 to shareholders of record as of May 15. The stock, which has a one-year return of minus 1%, yields 3.8%. This marks the 22nd straight year that the company will have raised its dividend.
Costco Wholesale (COST) said it would raise its quarterly dividend to $1.02 a share from 90 cents. That’s an increase of 13%. The annualized dividend will climb to $4.08 a share.
The discount retailer’s stock, which yields 0.8%, has a one-year return of minus 16%. The dividend is payable on May 19 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 5.
Travelers
(TRV), an insurer, plans to raise its quarterly dividend to $1 a share from 93 cents, an increase of 8%. The stock yields 2.2%, and its one-year return is 3%. The dividend is payable on June 30 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 9.
Kinder Morgan
(KMI) said it would boost its quarterly disbursement to 28.25 cents a share from 27.75 cents, for an increase of 2%.
The company’s assets include pipelines used for transporting natural gas. The stock yields 6.5%, and it has returned minus 7% over the last 12 months. The quarterly dividend is payable on May 15 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 1.
Discover Financial Services
(DFS) plans to raise its quarterly dividend to 70 cents a share from 60 cents, an increase of 17%. The stock, which yields 2.6%, has a one-year return of minus 9%. The dividend is payable on June 8 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 25.
Nasdaq
(NDAQ) is raising its quarterly dividend to 22 cents a share from 20 cents, for an increase of 10%. The stock, which has a one-year return of minus 1%, yields 1.6%. The dividend is payable on June 30 to shareholders of record on June 16.
Write to Lawrence C. Strauss at [email protected]
Read the full article here