Recently Announced Dividend Raises, January 2016

As dividend income investors we are constantly seeking reliable sources of passive income from profitable companies that share their revenues with shareholders. But most of us take it a step further than simply investing in dividend stocks. After all, what good is a dividend distribution if it is not sustainable and gets cut or worse eliminated? We seek the coveted dividend raiser. The elite group of companies that historically raise their dividend every year. With that being said I’d like to review some recent dividend increase announcements from many well known companies and some lesser known companies.

First up raising dividends in the energy space is Holly Energy Partners L.P (HEP). HEP recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.565 per share, a 1.8% increase. HEP currently yields 8.69%.

Also in the oil patch, Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) increased its regular quarterly dividend from $0.50 per share to $0.60 per share. VLO currently yields 3.54%.

Finally, in the energy sector ONE Gas, Inc. (OGS) announced a dividend raise from $0.30 to $0.35 a share. OGS has a current yield of 2.66%.

In the automotive sector, General Motors Company (GM) will bump its quarterly dividend from $0.36 to $0.38 per share. The current yield for GM is 4.92%.

Lesser known Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. (NXST) is making their shareholders happier with an increased dividend of $0.24 per share up from $0.19. NXST currently yields 1.93%.

Hunting for increased yield in the utilities sector? Look no further than WEC Energy Group, Inc. (WEC) that raised its dividend 8.2% from $0.4575 to $0.495. WEC currently yields 3.69%.

Dividend raiser stalwart Consolidated Edison, Inc. (ED) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 an annualized increase of $0.08 cents over the previous annualized dividend of $2.60. ED currently yields3.94%.

Finance sector South State Corporation (SSB) increased its dividend 7.7% from $0.26 to $0.28 per share. SSB currently yields 1.61%.