Dividend Challengers (And Near-Challengers): 124 Increases Expected By March 31

In compiling the Dividend Champions list (found here), I get to see which companies are nearing the anniversaries of their previous dividend increases. Since most of these firms raise their payout about the same time every year, I can say with some confidence that they are likely to do so again. I have separated the Champions (25 or more years of higher dividends), Contenders (10-24 years), and Challengers (5-9 years) into distinct groupings, so please look for the other articles, which I hope will be published about the same time. Note that "CCC" refers to the combination of Champions, Contenders, and Challengers.
The Groundhog Cometh
As mentioned last month, the relatively light activity from mid-December to mid-January is now giving way to a pick-up in dividend-increase announcements with Ex-Dividend Dates beginning around Groundhog Day and carrying through March and April, when many companies first announce their annual earnings and then schedule the annual shareholder meeting. The number of announcements for all Champions, Contenders, Challengers, and Near-Challengers expected in the next 11 weeks has risen to 186 from 108 a month ago.
The table below coincides with the usual "forward look" of about 11 weeks for this article. Based on last year's announcements, I'm expecting the following companies to announce dividend increases between now and the anniversary of the Ex-Dividend Date of their previous increase:
Dividend Challengers (5-9... Read more