Dividend Increases for Thursday December 8, 2011

Dividend Increases for Thursday December 8, 2011

It’s been a busy day with 7 companies announcing dividend increases as we approach the end of 2011. Today’s mix includes a variety of sectors including Real Estate, Insurance, Natural Gas Tranportation, as well as Appliance and Paint manufacturing.

While none of the yields on any of today’s companies even reach 4%, the percentage increases range from 7 to 25% showing signs that more and more companies are becoming comfortable enough with their financial footing that they can begin to make significant increases to their quarterly payouts.

Today’s List of Dividend Increases

Horace Mann Education (ticker: HMN) tops the list today with an 18% increase in the dividend and a new payout at 3.8% yield.

Also of note is Roper Industries (ticker: ROP) You may know Roper Industries from one of the many household appliances they manufacture and sell in the US.

While the yield on Roper’s stock is a measly .65%, they deserve recognition for increasing their dividend by a whopping 25%! This may be company to add to your due-diligence list – as often times, low yielding plays like Roper Industries may outperform over the long-term if they are able to continue such rapid increases in the dividend payout.

Other Dividend Increases

Other companies that increased their dividend today included the financial services firm Ameriprise Financial (ticker: AMP) with a new yield of 2.37%. Enbridge (ticker: EWB), Erie Indemnity (ticker: ERIE), Strker Corp (ticker: SYK) and Valspar (ticker: VAL) were also included in today’s increases.

For more detailed information about today’s dividend increases please refer to the chart below.

Investment Considerations

As always when evaluating investment opportunities it’s important to keep in mind not only the fundamentals of the stock itself, but also how the holding entity (Limited Partnership,Royalty Trust, Master Limited Partnership, Business Development Company, Preferred Stock) may affect the way you report income on your annual tax return as well as the amount or percentage of tax  you will be required to pay. Adding shares of any of these special entities to tax deferred / retirement accounts may also present additional issues.

Remember to review all of the fundamentals of any company BEFORE investing – do not simply buy a stock based on the dividend payout. If you have further questions about any stock mentioned her you should first consult with your CPA or tax planner / advisor before making any investments.