Investors Can Expect Dividend Increases From 11 Companies In Late April

The dramatic economic slowdown took its toll on dividend growth in early April, with three companies holding dividends flat.
We have a chance for a decent boost from asset manager Evercore, but most dividend growth announcements will be minimal.
I don't expect an increase from Exxon Mobil this year, but I think they'll keep their year-over-year streak intact by maintaining their dividend.
This is the latest in my series of articles where I provide my predictions of annual dividend increases for a variety of long-term dividend growth companies. Back at the beginning of April, I provided predictions for 10 long-term dividend growth companies that have historically announced annual payout increases in the first half of the month. Here, in the middle of the month, I'll give my predictions for another 11 companies that historically have increased their dividends in the latter half of April.
Given the continued volatility in the market, the ongoing pandemic, and the associated uncertainty with the economy, my ground rules for how I make the predictions won't change: there will be less focus on earnings guidance and prior earnings results, and more on historical patterns. I will also continue to reduce and widen my predictions to account for the uncertainty in the economy.
One company that beat me to a prediction was Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), which announced a 6% increase to an annualized $4.04. This is the 58th year of dividend growth for JNJ and gives the company a forward yield of 2.66%. Costco (COST) also announced its latest dividend increase in mid-April, boosting its dividend by 7.7% to an annualized $2.80. This is the company's 17th year of dividend growth. The company now has a forward yield of 0.88%.
Before I offer my predictions for announcements of dividend increases from 11 companies in the second half of April, here are how my predictions for the first half of April came out (you can see the original article with my predictions... Read more