Microsoft Among 5 Dividend Stocks Looking To Double Payouts Within 6 Years

High rates of dividend growth are usually an indicator of strong revenue and earnings performance, as also robust cash flow generation. Stocks of companies that increase their dividends at high rates generally tend to outperform their peers with low or no dividend increases. Here is a sample of five dividend stocks that have raised dividends at healthy double-digit rates, on average, each year over the past five years. If the same average dividend increases are sustained in the future, these companies will double their payouts by 2017. Click to enlarge Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is one of the companies on track to double dividends within the next six years. The $245-billion software giant has been raising dividends at an average rate of 14.2% a year over the past five years. If the company maintains the same average rate of dividend increases, it will likely double its payout by 2017. Microsoft Corporation... Read more