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 Waste Management (NYSE: WM).

The leading trash hauler had announced its intention to boost its dividend three weeks ago, but made it official on Tuesday with its first quarterly payout declaration of $0.355 a share. Waste Management's previous rate was $0.34 a share.

Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) may be all about lower prices, but it's also about higher payouts. The world's largest retailer has come through with increases every year since initiating its distribution policy in 1974, and that streak isn't going to end this year. Wal-Mart's new quarter disbursements of $0.3975 a share represent a 9% improvement.

Cypress Semiconductor (Nasdaq: CY) is another hiker. The "fab-lite" chip giant that happens to be the global leader in USB controllers is boosting its quarterly rate by 22% to $0.11 a share. Tech isn't typically a kind space for income investors, but Cypress now yields a reasonable 2.5%.

Finally we have Deere (NYSE: DE) harvesting more robust dividend checks. The agricultural equipment juggernaut is moving its quarterly payouts 12% higher to $0.46 a share. Shareholders should be used to this by now, since Deere has come through with increases 10 times over the past eight years.

Checks and balances
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.

If you want to track these stocks to see if and when they hike their payouts again, consider adding them to MyWatchlist.