Westar Energy (WR) Declares $0.31 Quarterly Dividend; 4.9% Yield

Westar Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WR) Board of Directors today declared a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per common share, $1.24 annualized. The dividend is payable January 3, 2011, to shareholders of record as of December 9, 2010. The ex-dividend date is December 5, 2010. Yield on the dividend is 4.9%.... more

My Six Favorite Dividend Stocks

At the end of each month I do an evaluation to determine which dividend stocks I will purchase in the following month. There is always a warm feeling of joy that comes over me when when I buy one of my “favorite” dividend growth stocks. These are stocks that have earned a special place in my heart as a result of performing well over the decades and they are generally considered among the best managed companies in the world. Here are the six stocks that make me smile when it is time to buy…... more

Frontline (FRO) Posts Q3 EPS of $0.16, Shy of Views; Declares $0.25 Quarterly Dividend; 3.8% Yield

Frontline Ltd. (NYSE: FRO) reports Q3 EPS of $0.16, versus the analyst estimate of $0.18. The Company's Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.25 per share, $1.00 annualized. The record date for the dividend is December 7, 2010, ex dividend date is December 3, 2010 and the dividend will be paid on or about December 21, 2010. Yield on the dividend is 3.8%.... more

Becton Dickinson: Dividend Raised for 38th Straight Year

Good news for shareholders of Becton Dickinson (BDX)! The company has announced that it’s raising the quarterly dividend from 37 cents per share to 41 cents per share. That’s an increase of 10.8% and BDX has now increased its dividend for 38 straight years! Going by the new yearly payout of $1.64, BDX currently yields 2.1%. The 5-year Treasury is going for 1.37%. If you bought the stock 20 years ago, you’re currently yielding close to 20%.... more

The Most Surprising Dividend Play of 2010

If you asked most investors where to find a source of strength in the currently sputtering economy, the last thing you would have expected to hear is the commercial real estate sector. But commercial real estate investment trusts (REITs) have not only survived the carnage in real estate over the past several years. They've started to recover -- and they're rewarding the investors who stayed the course with them through the downturn with higher dividends. Forget about the next shoeNot so long ago, commercial real estate looked like it might be the next problem area for the economy at large. Anecdotal experience certainly supported that thesis; if your area's anything like mine, you probably still see a number of vacancies at strip malls, shopping centers, and office buildings. Shares of... more

Dividend Investing Is a Fad

Talk of dividends is everywhere lately. On Fool.com alone you can see plenty of evidence of that. Last week, Dan Caplinger gave us "5 Dividend Stocks You Shouldn't Go Without," Jeremy Phillips told us about his favorite dividend stock, and Tim Beyers and Ilan Moscovitz explained why Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) is the most unlikely dividend play. But why are investors suddenly so fixated on dividends? A week ago, I took a look at what economist Gary Shilling had to say about the economy and the investment landscape. It wasn't pretty, but I think he has a pretty good handle on why many investors are turning to dividends -- namely, they are concerned that capital gains will be hard to come by in the years ahead, and they believe they'll have to count on dividends for most of their... more

Guess? (GES) Declares $2/Share Special Dividend and $0.20 Reg. Qtr. Dividend, 4.4% & 1.8% Yields Respectively

Guess?, Inc. (NYSE: GES) approved a special dividend of $2.00 per share to be paid with the company's regular quarterly dividend of $0.20. The combined dividends will be payable on December 23, 2010 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 8, 2010. The ex-dividend date is December 6. The dividend yield on the special dividend is 4.4%, based on today's closing price. The dividend yield on the regular divined0.2 is 1.8%.... more

Armstrong World Industries (AWI) Declares $13.74 Special Dividend; 29.3% Yield; Closes $1.05B Credit Facility

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (NYSE: AWI) announced today that it has closed on a new $1.050 billion senior secured credit facility and that its board of directors has declared a special cash dividend of $13.74 per common share. The special cash dividend will be paid on December 10, 2010 to shareholders of record as of December 3, 2010. The ex-dividend date is December 1, 2010. Yield on the dividend is 29.3%.... more

Raymond James (RJF) Raises Qtr. Dividend by 18% to 13c/Share, Yielding 1.81%

Raymond James (NYSE: RJF) raises its quarterly dividend by 18% from 11c to 13/share, payable on Jan. 19 to shareholders of record on Jan. 3. The ex-dividend date is Dec. 30. With shares of Raymond James closing today's session at $28.74, the company's dividend yield moves from 1.53% to 1.81%.... more

McCormick (MKC) Ups Qtr. Dividend by 8% to 28c/Share, Yielding 2.55%

McCormick (NYSE: MKC) raises its quarterly dividend by about 8% from 26c to 28c per common share, payable on Jan. 14 to shareholders of record on Dec. 31. The ex-dividend date is Dec. 29. With shares of McCormick closing today's session at $43.89, the dividend yield moves from 2.37% to 2.55%.... more