The last two weeks of December are typically characterized by low trading volumes, a lot of market holidays and few news regarding dividend increases. Nevertheless when a company announces its intent to raise distributions, it generally sends a positive message to markets and shareholders, especially when a company is paying at least a decent dividend yield. Several companies announced dividend increases over the past week, including Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), which continued the positive momentum of dividend raises that Pfizer (PFE) started earlier in the month.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS) engages in the discovery, development, licensing, manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of pharmaceuticals and nutritional products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Pharmaceuticals and Nutritionals. The pharmaceuticals giant increased its quarterly dividend by 3.2% to 32 cents per share. Bristol-Myers Squibb does not have a consistent history of dividend increases. The stock currently yields 5.00%.
“This dividend increase reflects our ongoing commitment to deliver shareholder value,” said James M. Cornelius, chairman and chief executive officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb. “We have made excellent progress in executing our strategy and we are confident in the strength of our BioPharma business. Our performance has helped put us in a strong cash position today and we expect solid cash flows to continue in the years ahead.”
The Ensign Group, Inc (ENSG), which provides nursing and rehabilitative care services in California, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Utah, Idaho, and Colorado, increased its quarterly dividend by 11% to 5 cents per share. This is the second consecutive dividend increase for the Ensign Group, Inc since the company went public in 2007. The stock currently yields 1.30%.
Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN), which manages families of equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds for its clients, increased its quarterly dividend by 5% to 22 cents per share. The investment manager also declared a special dividend of $3/share. Franklin Resources, Inc. is a dividend champion, which has increased its quarterly dividend in each of the past twenty nine years. The stock currently yields 0.90%.
Full disclosure: None
Relevant Articles:
- AT&T Raises Distributions by 2.4%
- 8 Dividend Achievers Strike Back
- 7 Dividend Raisers for the week
- Eight stocks with positive dividend momentum
Popular Posts
-
The Dividend Aristocrats List includes S&P 500 companies which have managed to increase annual dividends for at least 25 years in a row....
-
I review the list of dividend increases as part of my monitoring process. This exercise helps me monitor existing holdings. It also helps me...
-
I wanted to present some general discussion about fixed income securities. I will then present the companies I invested in this week, follow...
-
I review the list of dividend increases as part of my monitoring process. This process helps me review how the companies I own are doing. It...
-
Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors in the world. He is the chairman and controlling shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, ...
-
Successful people identify their goals, break them down into small actionable steps, and take action towards achieving them. Unsuccessful pe...
-
As part of my monitoring process , I review the list of dividend increases every week. This is helpful as a method to observe recent devel...
-
As a dividend growth investor , I look for solid companies to invest my hard earned money in. I look for companies that can grow earnings,...
-
Peter Lynch is probably one of the best-known stock pickers of our time and certainly among the most successful. He was portfolio manager of...
-
Plenty of ink has been spilled over FDIC Insurance Limits this weekend being only $250,000. But as an equity investor, are you aware that yo...
