Johnson & Johnson (JNJ -1.15%) has declared a dividend of $0.61 per share of common stock for its first quarter, the company announced in an official press release. The dividend will be disbursed on March 12 to shareholders of record as of the end of Feb. 26. The stock goes ex-dividend on Feb. 22.
The company's dividend policy has been steady since May of last year, when its quarterly payout was raised to $0.61 from the previous $0.57.
Although Johnson & Johnson has had some success recently, most notably with the Food and Drug Administration's approval of its tuberculosis drug Sirturo, it was plagued with a series of product recalls in 2012.
