I love to kick off the new trading week by taking a quick peek at companies that have just raised their dividends. It's not just about the money. A company that is easing up on its pocketbook probably has improving fundamentals to back up that generosity.

Readers of the Income Investor newsletter can certainly appreciate that kind of thinking. Let's take a closer look at four of the companies that inched their payouts higher this past week.

Let's start with 3M (NYSE:MMM). The only thing more adhesive than the company's sticky products is its knack for annual dividend hikes. The Post-it Notes creator boosted its quarterly dividend 4% higher to $0.48 a share and has now declared higher distributions for 49 consecutive years.

If you think that streak is impressive, check out Diebold (NYSE:DBD). The security specialist has now propped up its yield for 54 straight years. Diebold got there this past week with a 9% boost in its quarterly rate.

Journal Communications (NYSE:JRN) was another hiker. A newspaper publisher that is feeling comfortable with a chunkier distribution? You bet. The media maven issued a 13% spurt in its quarterly dividend to $0.075 per share.

Then we have Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO). The pop star spiked its payout with a 10% increase. Shareowners will be receiving $0.34 a share every three months now. The news came a day after the beverage juggernaut topped analyst expectations for its 16th consecutive quarter.

Subscribers to the Income Investor newsletter can appreciate the companies sending more and more money to their investors. The newsletter singles out companies that are committed to growing their distributions with market-thumping results.

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

Coca-Cola and 3M are Inside Value newsletter recommendations.

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