24/7 Wall St recently looked at companies likely to announce dividend hikes in the near future. The analysis included companies with strong earnings and a history of raising dividends.
Here are the six names that 24/7 Wall St came up with.
1. Apple Inc. AAPL 1.25%: Apple is relatively new to the dividend game, but with a massive amount of cash on its balance sheet, it can do a lot better than the 1.5 percent yield it currently pays to shareholders.
Both a dividend hike and a share buyback announcement could come very soon, the outlet wrote.
2. Chevron Corporation CVX 2.18%: Earlier this month, Chevron said, “Our intention is to demonstrate performance that will allow our 27-year history of successive increases in our annual dividend payout to continue.”
It’s no secret that oil companies have suffered from the collapse in crude oil prices, and Chevron is no exception.
The company earned $10 per share in 2014, but consensus 2015 estimates are now only $3.81. Chevron already pays a juicy 4.2 percent dividend, so shareholders should expect a very modest increase to keep the 27-year streak alive, 24/7 Wall St. said.
3. Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM 0.15%: Exxon will likely join Chevron in raising its dividend to maintain its reputation for consistent hikes. However, Exxon will likely also join Chevron in announcing only a very modest increase to its 3.2 percent yield.
4. International Business Machines Corp. IBM 1.92%: What IBM lacks in growth it makes up for in earnings, buybacks and double-digit percent dividend hikes for 11 years running.
Shareholders should expect IBM to make it 12 years in a row in the near future when it will likely boost its 2.9 percent yield.
5. Procter & Gamble Co PG 1.63%: P&G has been raising dividends for 60 years, and the company maintained its dividend discipline even when the stock market tanked during the Financial Crisis.
P&G currently yields 3.1 percent.
6. Southwest Airlines Co LUV 0.02%: After raising its dividend by a whopping 50 percent in 2014, Southwest is in position for another big dividend hike this year. The stock currently yields only 0.5 percent after doubling in price from its 52-week lows.
Another 50 percent (or larger) boost could be on the way soon.
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