6 Stocks Giving The Gift of Dividend Growth

Christmas is a time of giving. Families and loved-ones give gifts to each other. People give money to the needy and charities, while others give their time to help those that are not quite as fortunate. It seems that everyone is involved in giving this time of year, even corporations. Dividend growth stocks give a gift that keeps on giving – ever increasing dividends!

Here are several companies sharing their holiday spirit by giving their shareholders a gift of increased cash dividends:

Andersons (ANDE) operates in the agriculture and transportation markets in the U.S. It operates in five Groups: Grain & Ethanol, Rail, Plant Nutrient, Turf & Specialty, and Retail. December 17th the company increased its quarterly dividend 22% to $0.11/share. The dividend is payable January 24, 2011, to shareholders of record on January 3, 2011. The ex-dividend date is December 30, 2010. The yield based on the new payout is 1.3%.

Dominion (D) is an energy holding company’s whose principal subsidiaries include Virginia Electric & Power Co. and Consolidated Natural Gas. December 17th the company raised its annualized dividend 7.7% to $1.97/share. The first quarterly dividend of $0.4925/share is payable in March 2011. The yield based on the new payout is 4.6%.

AT&T (T) provides telephone and broadband service and holds full ownership of AT&T Mobility. December 17th the company increased its quarterly dividend 2.4% to $0.43/share. The dividend is payable on Feb. 1 to shareholders of record on Jan. 7. The ex-dividend date is Jan. 5. The company also announced that it will buyback up to 300 million shares of the stock. T is a Dividend Achiever and has raised its dividend for 27 consecutive years. The yield based on the new payout is 5.88%.

Norwood Financial (NWFL) is a one-bank holding company that operates 11 offices in Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties, Pennsylvania. December 20th the company raised its quarterly quarterly dividend 3.6% to $0.29/share. The dividend is payable February 1, 2011 to shareholders of record as of January 14, 2011. The ex-dividend date is January 12, 2011. The yield based on the new payout is 4.3%.

Washington Federal (WFSL) owns Washington Federal Savings, which provides financial services in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. December 20th the company increased its quarterly dividend 20% to $0.06/share. The dividend will be payable on January 14, 2011 to common stockholders of record on December 31, 2010, with an ex-dividend date is December 29, 2010. The yield based on the new payout is 1.6%.

Alliant Energy Corp. (LNT) provides electric and natural gas utility services, and also has various unregulated energy, freight transportation, and other investments. December 21st the company raised its annual dividend 7.6% to $1.70/share. The yield based on the new payout is 4.6%.

Selecting stocks with increasing dividends is critical for an income growth strategy. The above list contains stocks that recently raised their dividends; it is not a list of recommend buys. As always, due diligence should be performed before buying or selling any stock. For a list of stocks with a long string of consecutive cash dividend increases, see this list.

Full Disclosure: Long T. See a list of all my income holdings here.

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