Dividends always come in handy. But when those distributions grow to more than a handful, they become more than just a pocket-change bonus. Then you're dealing with companies that are signaling that they feel comfortable in their outlook.
Let's take a closer look at four of the companies that decided to share more of their greenery this past week.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean does feel the pinch on the fuel front, since its fleet obviously isn't running on sails. However, a 37% spike in fuel prices over the past year hasn't hurt the cruise line terribly, since that line item runs at just 7% of the operator's sales. So even with gas prices soaring, taking a cruise just seems to make sense for a vacation idea these days.
Another travel-related company that eased up on its purse strings was Choice Hotels
Truck maker Paccar
Our last hike is Brady
Subscribers to our Income Investor newsletter can appreciate the companies that are 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 raised 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. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.