Dividend Challengers (And Near-Challengers): 53 Increases By June 30

In compiling the Dividend Champions list, 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.
A Little Quiet Time It may not be Summer yet, but we are fast approaching the time of year when dividend increase announcements taper off. Annual Shareholder Meetings - and the increases that often precede them - peak in April and May, after which a Summer “lull” sets in. The number of announcements for all Champions, Contenders, Challengers, and Near-Challengers expected in the next 11 weeks is 91, up from 85 last month (and a staggering 221 earlier in the year). This year, though, more companies are announcing larger increases and often sooner than expected…boosting the payout just six or nine months after the last raise. So we may see a few more announcements than those expected (and listed below).
The table below coincides with the usual "forward look" of about 11 weeks for this article. Based on last year's... Read more