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.

We can start with Altria (NYSE: MO).

The tobacco giant may be a controversial name for some investors, but the company isn't just blowing smoke at its shareholders. Altria's boosting its quarterly dividend 7% higher to $0.44 a share. Its cigarettes may not be healthy, but the stock now packs a healthy 5.2% yield.

Brinker International (NYSE: EAT) is also serving up bigger portions. The restaurateur behind Chili's and Maggiano's Little Italy is hoping that investors save room for dessert. Brinker's new quarterly rate of $0.20 a share is a 25% improvement.

Brinker is also returning money to investors by adding another $500 million to its stock buyback efforts.

Realty Income (NYSE: O) is also keeping its monthly -- yes, monthly -- distributions growing. The retail-leaning income provider's new monthly payout will be $0.151125 a share. The 3% uptick may not seem like much. There are plenty of numbers to the right of that decimal point. However, Realty Income has come through with 67 dividend increases since 1994.

Really.

Finally we have Golar LNG (Nasdaq: GLNG). The Norwegian-based shipper of liquefied natural gas is energizing its yield, pumping its quarterly rate 14% higher to $0.40 a share.

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. A 30-day trial subscription will let you see if it's right for you.

The Dow is another place where yield chasers come for meaty payouts, but you don't want to buy all 30 stocks that make up the index. A new report singles out the three Dow companies that dividend investors need to own. It's a free report, so check it out now.