Dividend announcements are usually ho-hum fare. That is, of course, as long as the company isn't actually increasing the amount of its payout. That kind of flexibility is often a great indicator of good things taking place at a company.
Let's take a closer look at four of the companies that inched their payouts higher this past week.
Shall we begin with Circuit City
It may not add up to much. The stock's new yield of 0.6% isn't going to find income investors flocking to the shares. However, it does help cement Circuit City's turnaround in retail.
Also banking on fatter checks, Wells Fargo
General Mills
Then we have Shaw Communications
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's liking 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. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.