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 that generosity.
Readers of the Income Investor newsletter service can certainly 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 Packaging Corporation of America
It paired that raise with a $150 million share-repurchase plan that will hack away at the number of shares outstanding over the next 18 months. Higher volume and pricing helped prop up profits, so why not let shareholders in on the fun?
Carnival
With plans to add 18 ships over the next four years, Carnival is looking to grow its capacity by 27%. Rivals Royal Caribbean
VF
Finally, we have Met-Pro
Subscribers to the Income Investor newsletter service appreciate the companies that send more and more money to their investors. The service 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 trial subscription. Who knows? Maybe the next thing to get raised will be your interest.