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 these past few days.

We can start with Weyerhaeuser (WY -0.25%). Shareholders of the forest products giant don't need to knock on wood in hoping for bigger dividends. Weyerhaeuser is pushing up its quarterly rate 13% to $0.17 a share.

"We have undertaken initiatives in each of our businesses to enhance performance, and these efforts are yielding clear results," CEO Dan Fulton explains in the press release.

Was that "yielding" reference a play on words? Who says that there's no dry humor in the forest products industry?

International Paper (IP -2.64%) is another company turning trees into money trees. Its board agreed to boost its quarterly distributions 14% to $0.30 a share. Paper may not seem like much of a growth industry these days, but keep in mind that International Paper is also a big player in consumer packaging materials. Wall Street sees revenue climbing 7% this year and 4% come 2013.

Fastenal (FAST 0.59%) is also twisting its quarterly disbursements higher. The marker of nuts, bolts, and other fasteners is bumping its quarterly payout 11% higher to $0.21 a share.

Fastenal is in a good groove lately. The company's dividend rate was $0.19 a share three months ago, and $0.17 a share three months before that.

Finally, we have Senior Housing Properties Trust (DHC -1.25%) getting better with age. Shareholders of the REIT that invests in independent- and assisted-living communities, nursing homes, rehab hospitals, wellness centers, and related buildings will now be receiving $0.39 a share. The earlier quarterly rate was $0.38 a share.

Checks and balances
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