Dividend checks continue to get fatter in corporate America, as more companies jack up their distribution rates.

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

Let's start with Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK). The country's second-largest producer of natural gas is fueling its quarterly dividend 17% higher to $0.0875 a share. Investors may view energy stocks as steady income producers, but this is Chesapeake's first increase in three years.

Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM) is also scaling higher. The provider of management information services is boosting its quarterly rate by 33% to $0.25 a share. Iron Mountain is on an ambitious path to return money to its shareowners. A year ago, its quarterly disbursements were just $0.0625 a share.

HEICO's (NYSE: HEI) yield is also ascending. The company's semiannual dividend is climbing 25%. Investors in the maker of airplane replacement parts will now be receiving $0.06 a share every six months.

Finally, we have Host Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: HST) checking in with an upgrade. The hospitality real estate investment trust that watches over 65,000 hotel rooms in 50 different markets is juicing up its quarterly rate by 50% to $0.03 a share.

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 is 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.

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