RGLD - 5 Upcoming Dividend Increases To Start 2024 Including A Dividend King

2023-12-28 16:41:16 ET

Summary

• ABM Industries extends its 56-year streak of dividend increases with a 2.3% increase.
• Companies that consistently increase their dividends perform better than those that don't.
• The article provides insights on upcoming dividend increases and compares companies to the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF.

Although the clock has not struck midnight on New Year's Eve yet, we already have our first batch of dividend increases for 2024. Let me be the first to wish you a Happy New Year! Dividend King ABM Industries extends its 56-year streak with a 2.3% increase.

As a dividend-growth investor, I can't get enough of my dividends. Receiving dividend checks is one of the great joys of investing life. Not only that, but companies that consistently increase their payouts perform significantly better than those that don't. Since I closely monitor these companies, I'm happy to share valuable insights on upcoming dividend increases. With these lists, you can confidently expect to see the top stocks expected to raise their dividends in the upcoming week. I use this analysis for my portfolio construction and for timely buys.

How I Created The Lists

The information presented here is a result of merging two sources of data - the "U.S. Dividend Champions" spreadsheet from this website and upcoming dividend data from NASDAQ. The process combines data on companies with a consistent dividend growth history with their future dividend payments. It's important to understand that all companies included in this list have consistently grown in dividends for at least five years.

Companies must have higher total dividends paid each year to be included in this list. Hence, a company may not increase its dividend every calendar year, but the total annual dividend can still grow.

What Is The Ex-Dividend Date?

The ex-dividend date is when you must purchase shares to be eligible for the upcoming dividend or distribution. To qualify, you must have bought the shares by the end of the preceding business day. For instance, if the ex-dividend date is Tuesday, you must have acquired the shares by the market close on Monday. It's important to note that if the ex-dividend date is a Monday (or a Tuesday following a holiday on Monday), you must have bought the shares by the previous Friday.

Dividend Streak Categories

Here are the definitions of the streak categories, as I'll use them throughout the piece.

• King: 50+ years.
• Champion/Aristocrat: 25+ years.
• Contender: 10-24 years.
• Challenger: 5+ years.

The Dividend Increasers List

Data has been sorted by the ex-dividend day (ascending) and then by the streak (descending):

Field Definitions

Streak : Years of dividend growth history are sourced from the U.S. Dividend Champions spreadsheet.

Forward Yield : The new payout rate is divided by the current share price.

Ex-Dividend Date : This is the date you need to own the stock.

Increase Percent : The percent increase.

Streak Category : This is the company's overall dividend history classification.

Show Me The Money

Here's a table mapping the new rates versus the old rates. It also reiterates the percentage increase. This table is sorted similarly to the first (ex-dividend day ascending, dividend streak descending).

Additional Metrics

Some different metrics related to these companies include yearly pricing action and the P/E ratio. The table is sorted the same way as the table above.

Tickers By Yield And Growth Rates

I've arranged the table in descending order for investors to prioritize the current yield. As a bonus, the table also features some historical dividend growth rates. Moreover, I have incorporated the "Chowder Rule," which is the sum of the current yield and the five-year dividend growth rate.

Historical Returns

My investment strategy involves finding stocks combining increasing dividends and consistently outperforming the market. I use the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF ( SCHD ) as my dividend growth benchmark. This ETF has a remarkable track record of exceptional performance, a higher yield than the S&P 500, and a proven record of growing dividends. Investing in the ETF is better if a stock cannot beat the benchmark. I've added companies to my personal investment portfolio based on this analysis. I also routinely use this analysis to choose timely additional purchases.

This week I'm comparing everyone on the list versus SCHD. I've chosen the 10-year dividend growth rate as the comparator, as that is one of the key metrics to be included in SCHD. It's also a proxy for success, as it is hard to continually grow a dividend over long periods without the share price following. Here are the results.

SCHD returned a very respectable 186% as our reference point. Morningstar was the overall winner with a 300% total return, very impressive indeed!

Royal Gold finished second, narrowly beating SCHD with a 202% total return.

Bringing up the rear were ABM, BMY, and BEN respectively. In fact, BEN investors lost money over the past decade!

Please do your due diligence before making any investment decision.

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