4 Stocks That Took a Hike

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What's nicer than dividends? More dividends. That's why there's something special about a company increasing its regular shareholder distributions. Sure, the company could have kept the greenery and let it collect interest or invest it in its future, but the investors want a whack at the fiscal pinata, too. It's also a sign that a company feels upbeat enough to go easy on those purse strings. If it's a trend that continues, the improving fundamentals may very well send the shares higher.

Let's take a closer look at four of the companies that inched their payouts higher this past week.

General Electric (NYSE: GE) managed to bring good things to its income-investing life. The conglomerate -- at one point the country's most valuable company until Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) went on a fuel-inspired tear -- raised its quarterly distribution by three pennies to $0.25 a share. Investors will now be getting a buck annually from the company for every share they own. It is the 30th consecutive year that GE has increased its dividend. That's almost as impressive as the fact that the company has been paying dividends since 1899.

Then again, GE may have to kowtow to the much smaller Lancaster Colony (Nasdaq: LANC). That's because Lancaster's modest hike (going from $0.25 a share to $0.26 per share) marks the 43rd straight year that the company has inched its payouts higher. The company will also be paying a special $2-per-share dividend. Lancaster's got an eclectic empire, perhaps even more odd than GE. That's because the company makes everything from candles to floor mats to salad dressing. Yes, candles. Perhaps it's the recent wave of hurricanes making scented candles all the rage in powerless Southeastern towns, because rival Blyth (NYSE: BTH) propped up its dividend for the second time this year back in September.

LCA-Vision (Nasdaq: LCAV) was another hiker. The company behind the LasikPlus vision centers saw fit to raise its quarterly dividend by a healthy 50%. Shareholders will now be getting $0.12 a share every three months instead of the old $0.08-per-stub payout. You've gotta like that. The company didn't even start paying a dividend until the summer of 2004, and it has already hiked its rate twice. The company is making major headway by growing market share through timely acquisitions in a laser vision correction niche that is begging to be consolidated.

Mattel (NYSE: MAT) is the fourth company that we'll be taking a closer look at this week. The leading toymaker pays its dividend in one lump sum and will grow by a nickel to $0.50 a share this time around. Its attractively priced shares already won it a stock recommendation just over a year ago for Inside Value subscribers. With the holidays around the corner, some may interpret the move as a little confident bravado from the Mattel camp. With a plaything portfolio that includes seasonal favorites like Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, and American Girl, it's easy to like Mattel's chances, especially since the National Retail Federation expects holiday shoppers to spend 6% more this year.

Subscribers to our Income Investor newsletter can appreciate the companies sending more and more money to their investors. Analyst Mathew Emmert has often singled out companies that are committed to growing their distributions with market-thumping results.

Want to see what Mathew likes these days? Go ahead and give his newsletter service a shot with a 30-day trial subscription. Who knows? Maybe the next thing that will get hiked will be your interest.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz pays attention to yield signs. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story. The Fool has a disclosure policy. Rick is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.