The financial crisis of 2007-2009 led to dividend cuts in many financial companies. Investors who were heavily concentrated in the financial sector suffered in the process.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated, a specialty food company, engages in the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of flavor products and other specialty food products to the food industry worldwide. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Industrial. The company, which has raised dividends for 23 consecutive years, is a member of the Mergent’s dividend achievers index. Back in November McCormick & Company increased its quarterly dividend by 8.30% to 26 cents per share.

As a dividend growth investor, my strategy is picking the right stocks that provide a decent balance between dividend yield and distribution growth. Thus I have maintained a rigid requirement for a 3% initial yield before investing in a dividend growth company’s securities. Most dividend investors look for yield when purchasing income securities.

It was only a few months ago that many experts declared dividend investing dead, after almost all financial companies in the US cut or eliminated their distributions to shareholders. In recent months there has been a slow but steady trend of many companies showing their confidence in the economic rebound by raising distributions. Over the past week several dividend payers announced that their boards of directors have approved increases in cash dividends they send out to their stockholders quarterly.

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The stock market has been on a consistent bull run since it hit a low in March 2009. As stocks keep hitting new highs for the year however, buyout by the prospect of economic recovery, many value investors are getting nervous about valuations. The P/E ratio on the S&P 500 for example has risen to its highest levels in several years.

A body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force. The following dividend payers kept the dividend momentum coming, by raising distributions to shareholders. What is particularly interesting is the fact that most of them have raised distributions consistently for more than one or two decades each.

Most investors believe that successful dividend investing consists of identifying the highest yielding stocks in the market and then generating double digit returns on investment each year. The problem with this strategy it that it often overlooks the fact that such dividend yields are most often unsustainable in the long run. A much better strategy that could eventually produce double digit yield on cost to investors is dividend growth investing.

Most dividend investors are influenced by the current yield when they enter a particular stock investment. Dividend growth investors are no different either. It is hard to blame either of these groups, as there is no point in a company that strongly raises its dividend payments, yet it might take up to two decades for the yield on cost to reach any meaningful level.

The Dividend Aristocrats index measures the performance of S&P 500 index members that have followed a policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 25 consecutive years. (Source: S&P)
Since its inception 20 years ago, the dividend aristocrat’s index has outperformed the S&P 500. Continue Reading...
 
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