I love to kick off the new trading week by taking a quick peek at companies that have just raised their dividends. A company that's easing up on its pocketbook probably has improving fundamentals to back up its generosity.
Readers of the Motley Fool Income Investor newsletter service can appreciate that kind of thinking. Let's take a closer look at four of the companies that inched their payouts higher over the past week.
Let's start with Cintas
This dividend increase was a bold move, because Cintas could feel the sting if the economy continues to weaken. If companies have to let employees go, they'll also be scaling back on office-gear rentals. So the company's confidence is encouraging, even if the real test will be to see whether it suits up with a fatter yield next year.
Then we have Intel
Family Dollar
The 2.9% yield is notable, especially since many of the value-minded retailers, such as Big Lots
Finally, we have Schlumberger
Subscribers to the Income Investor newsletter service can appreciate the companies sending more and more money to their investors. Income Investor 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 service a shot with a 30-day free trial subscription. Who knows? Maybe the next thing to get raised will be your interest.