Dividend Champions For September 2016

The Dividend Champions spreadsheet and PDF have been updated through 8/31/16 and are available here. Note that all references to Champions mean companies that have paid higher dividends for at least 25 straight years; Contenders have streaks of 10-24 years; Challengers have streaks of 5-9 years. "CCC" refers to the universe of Champions, Contenders, and Challengers.
Expansion vs. "The Big Freeze"
As we approach the fourth quarter, the annual phenomenon of dividend "Freezes" will take center stage, as companies that will have paid the same in total dividends in 2016 as in 2015 will be deleted. At present, I expect perhaps two dozen companies to fall by the wayside, rivaling the number of new Challengers to be added by year-end. So, as you can see in the chart below, the CCC "universe" may not reach 800 companies until early next year. Of course, some companies do save (and extend) their streaks with "last minute" increases, so we'll get a better handle on things as the fourth quarter progresses. Since companies declare dividends anywhere from two days to two months before the ex-dividend date, we'll begin to see those announcements in September.
CCC Projections:
(Number of Companies)
Month:
Sep16
Oct16
Nov16
Dec16
Jan17
Beginning
790
791
791
792
792
Additions *
5
6
9
6
9
Deletions **
4
6
8
6
3
Ending
791
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