Comcast, Chevron, and 7 More Companies That Just Boosted Their Stock Dividends

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Chevron
,

Comcast
,
and

Kimberly-Clark

were among the many U.S. companies that declared dividend increases this week.

Energy giant Chevron (ticker: CVX) said it plans to boost its quarterly disbursement by 8 cents a share to $1.42, up 6%.

The stock, which yields 4.4%, has a one-year return of about 62% as of the close on Jan. 27, dividends included, compared with 17% for the

S&P 500.

Several other energy firms declared dividend increases as well.

Oil services company

Halliburton

(HAL) said it plans to raise its quarterly dividend to 12 cents a share, more than double the 4.5 cents it has been paying. The stock, which yields 1.5%, has a one-year return of about 80%.

Another energy firm,

Phillips 66

(PSX), said this week that it plans to raise its quarterly dividend by 2 cents, or about 2%, to 92 cents a share.

The stock, which has a one-year return of about 26%, yields 4.3%. The company’s midstream orientation includes refining operations.

Elsewhere, Comcast (CMCSA) declared a quarterly dividend of 27 cents a share, up 2 cents, or 8%, from 25 cents. That equates to $1.08 a share on an annualized basis. The entertainment and communications company’s stock, whose one-year return is about 1%, yields 2.2%.

Kimberly-Clark (KMB), a consumer products company whose brands include Kleenex and Scott paper towels, plans to up its quarterly dividend to $1.16 a share. That’s an increase of 2 cents, or nearly 2%.

The stock, which yields 3.4%, has a one-year return of about 3%. This marks the 50^th consecutive annual dividend increase for the company, it said in a release.

Wells Fargo

(WFC), one of the largest banks in the U.S., declared a quarterly dividend of 25 cents a share, an increase of 25% from 20 cents. The stock has a one-year return of about 80%, and it yields 1.9%.

In the summer of 2020 amid the pandemic, Wells Fargo slashed its quarterly payout to 10 cents a share from 51 cents. It raised the quarterly dividend to 20 cents a share last July.

Financial services firm

Charles Schwab

(SCHW) said it plans to raise its quarterly dividend by 2 cents to 20 cents a share for an 11% boost. The stock, which yields 0.9%, has a one-year return of about 70%.

Church & Dwight

(CHD) declared a quarterly disbursement of 26.25 cents a share, up by a penny or 4%. The company makes various consumer household and personal care products such as Arm & Hammer baking soda. The stock, which yields 1%, has a one-year return of about 14%.

Church & Dwight was recently added to the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index, whose members have paid out a higher dividend for at least 25 straight years. This marks the 26^th straight year in which the company has raised the dividend.

Tractor Supply

(TSCO) said it plans to hike its quarterly dividend to 92 cents a share, an increase of nearly 80% from 52 cents. It marks the largest dividend increase in the company’s history.

Tractor Supply operates more than 2,000 stores and caters to customers in rural areas, including recreational farmers and ranchers. The stock, which has a one-year return of about 38%, yields 1.7%.

Write to Lawrence C. Strauss at [email protected]