Source: online
Overview
I do not think that people should invest in equities for income. Over-emphasis on high-dividend-yield stocks may dampen long-term total returns. For example, a high payout ratio could indicate the lack of growth opportunities for management to deploy extra cash.
However, consistent growth in dividends (rather the high yield) is a strong signal of stocks with the potential to generate alpha in my view. Track record of consecutive dividend increases is a significant factor in my stock fundamental ranking model as well as the Urbem Quality Score for the following reasons -