Finish Line Increases Quarterly Cash Dividend 20 Percent

The Finish Line, Inc. (Nasdaq: FINL) announced today that its board of directors has approved an increase in the company’s quarterly cash dividend from $0.05 to $0.06 per share of outstanding Class A and Class B common stock. The quarterly cash dividend will be payable March 19, 2012 to shareholders of record as of March 2, 2012.... more

Citigroup Declares Dividends

The Board of Directors of Citigroup Inc. today declared a quarterly dividend on the company’s common stock of $0.01 per share, payable on February 24, 2012 to stockholders of record on February 6, 2012.... more

Marsh & McLennan Companies Declares Quarterly Dividend

The Board of Directors of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE: MMC) today declared a quarterly dividend of $.22 per share on outstanding common stock, payable on February 15, 2012 to shareholders of record on January 30, 2012.... more

Income Investors: 5 Safe New Dividend Kings For 2012

With the increased volatility in the stock markets, more investors are keen to shift away from actively managing their portfolios. High-dividend yielding stocks take on more importance in such situations as they offer stable dividends and, if invested in the right company, a steady growth going forward. In this article we present five stocks which, in our opinion, are dividend kings for the year 2012. Altria Group, Inc. (MO): Altria is a holding company whose subsidiaries are involved in the manufacturing and distribution of cigarettes and wine. The company has a vast international portfolio of products like Marlboro, Virginia Slims and Benson & Hedges, while it sells wine under the brand of Chateau Ste. Michelle, making it firmly in the category of buy and hold forever. With a mature... more

Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. Declares Dividend and Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings Webcast Conference Call

The board of directors of Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. (Susquehanna) (SUSQ) has declared a first quarter dividend of $0.03 per common share, payable on February 17, 2012 to shareholders of record January 31, 2012.... more

Among 5 Small-Cap Dividend Dynamos, 1 Stands Out

Big-name dividend payers are getting all the attention these days. That's all fine and good, but the more people know about a stock and its dividend, the more likely they are to bid shares up.
That's not necessarily the case with unloved small-cap stocks. Today, I'm going to introduce you to five small companies showing their shareholders the money with outsized dividends. Read to the end and I'll also offer you access to a special free report on 11 of our favorite dividend stocks at The Motley Fool.
First, just the numbersAfter a bit of searching and screening, I came up with five excellent dividend-paying prospects. Below I've listed my five candidates, their yields, and their payout ratios.
Company
Yield
Payout Ratio... more

5 Stocks With Juicy Yields Of 10% And Up

Whether you are looking to establish your first position in income investing or are an experienced income investor, you will want to spend some time reviewing the financials of five very attractive and high yielding stocks. All five of the following stocks are relatively cheap to get into and make reinvestment a more lucrative strategy due to the ability to purchase more shares with each payout. These companies have also established a consistent record of dividend pay outs and maintain high yields, which make them all the more attractive and a hot addition to any income investor's portfolio. Income investing is defined as taking a long-term position in a stock and using the dividends that it pays to reinvest in more shares. The strategy compounds the returns on an initial investment each... more

5 Cheap Dividend Stocks To Buy And Hold Forever

A common strategy for income-orientated investors is purchasing dividend stocks and holding onto them for many years. This is from the ability of certain firms to offer consistent yields and strength. These two factors are the basic philosophy that are used in determining if owning a particular stock over long periods of time will provide substantial rewards. As a result, a number of strategies have been developed around purchasing and holding positions like this to achieve these objectives. The problem with this kind of thinking is that there could be changes in the fundamentals of the company. This is when there is the possibility that the dividend could be reduced (which increases the total amounts of volatility). To determine if Altria (MO), Exxon Mobil (XOM), PepsiCo (PEP) General... more

Washington REIT: Differentiated By Decades Of Durable Dividends

In The Intelligent Investor, by Ben Graham, the legendary author writes, "the defensive investor must confine himself to the shares of important companies with a long record of profitable operations and in strong financial condition." And Graham further explains the test of an intelligent operation as "one of the most persuasive tests of high-quality with an uninterrupted record of dividend payments going back over many years. Graham adds "that a record of continuous dividend payments for the last twenty years or more is an important plus factor in the company's quality rating." Within every industry, there are leaders and laggards and the leaders are typically the companies that have demonstrated the... more

7 Must-Own Dividend Stocks

Stocks with large market caps tend to be household names, a good source of modest growth, and make really strong investments, if you can get them at the right price. The key is to pay attention to how a large cap stock is priced relative to its earnings and its forecast for growth. Many large cap stocks pay dividends as well, further adding to their potential upside and generating stable income. The stocks on this deliver on all three parameters - they are large cap companies with low forward P/E ratios, modest EPS growth, and they pay dividends. A portfolio of these seven stocks will most likely outperform the 10-year Treasuries and has the potential to deliver strong capital gains. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is an application software company with a $235.54 billion market cap. The company... more