16 Companies Increasing Dividends

Despite the equity markets omnipresent volatility, the dividend parade keeps
rolling down Wall Street. This week brought another bevy of big names boosting
their quarterly payouts, and the news gave shareholders a little early holiday
cheer. In a good sign for the market at large, this week's list of payout
performers reads like a Who's Who of the most prominent firms in their
respective sectors. Pharmaceutical, aerospace, financial and industrial giants
all stuffed shareholder stockings, making this another stellar week for income
investors. Here are 16 companies increasing dividends this week. Farm products
and potash maker Agrium (NYSE: AGU ) quadrupled its dividend, fertilizing the
payout on common stock to 22.5 cents per share on a semi-annual basis. The new
dividend will be paid Jan. 19 to shareholders of record on Jan. 1. The new
dividend yield, based on the Dec. 14 closing price of $64.49 (the day the
dividend was announced), is 0.70%. Agrium also announced plans to spend about
$1.5 billion to increase its potash production capacity by 50%, as it looks to
increase profits from the continued strength in crop prices. Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN
) is the world's largest biotech firm, and this week it engineered a 29% rise
in its quarterly dividend. The company, which began paying a dividend just last
year, announced a payout of 36 cents a share. The new dividend will be paid
March 7 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 15. The new dividend yield, based
on the Dec. 15 closing price of $58.62, is 2.46%. Amgen recently bought back
nearly 10% of its outstanding shares. The company also said long time Chairman
and CEO Kevin Sharer will retire on May 23, but stay on as chairman until the
end of 2012. Aerospace giant and defense contractor Boeing (NYSE: BA ) sent its
dividend into flight, lifting its quarterly payout 5% to 44 cents per share from
42 cents. The heightened payout will be made on March 2 to shareholders of
record as of Feb. 10. The new dividend yield, based on the Dec. 12 closing price
of $70.90, is 2.48%. Boeing continues to receive new orders for its premier 777
wide-body aircraft, and this year it's extended its annual sales to 200 units.
Real estate investment trust Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP ) boosted its
quarterly payout by 10% to 55 cents per share. The new payout will be made Jan.
27 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 31. The new dividend yield, based on the
Dec. 14 closing price of $93.65, is 2.35%. Boston Properties develops and
manages offices, hotel, residential and retail properties in New York,
Washington, San Francisco, Princeton, N.J. and its namesake city, Boston.
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS ) charged up its quarterly dividend,
boosting its payout by 67% to 10 cents per share from 6 cents. The new dividend
is payable Jan. 19 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 29. The new dividend
yield, based on the Dec. 15 closing price of $23.07, is 1.73%. The credit card
issuer said heavy holiday shopping helped its fiscal fourth quarter profit surge
46% year over year. Money management firm Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN )
declared a special cash dividend of $2 a share. It also raised its quarterly
dividend by 8% to 27 cents per share. Both the special dividend and the boosted
payout are payable on Dec. 30 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 19. The new
dividend yield, based on the Dec. 12 closing price of $96.91, is 1.11%. The
company recently posted a 12% surge in fiscal Q4 profits. The biggest lodging
property REIT in the U.S. is Host Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: HST ), and this week
it upped the room rate it pays shareholders to 5 cents per share from the
previous 1 cent per share payout. The new dividend is payable on Jan. 17 to
shareholders of record on Dec. 30. The new dividend yield, based on the Dec. 14
closing price of $13.71, is 1.46%.