The list of consistent dividend raisers was dominated by master limited partnerships. The companies which rewarded their investors with higher dividend incomes include:
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (KMP), which owns and manages energy transportation and storage assets, raised its quarterly distributions to $1.15/unit. This master limited partnership is a dividend achiever, which has increases its quarterly distributions for 15 years in a row. Yield: 6.30% (analysis)
Kinder Morgan (KMI) owns the general partner interest of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP), one of the largest publicly traded pipeline limited partnerships in America, and has limited partner interests in KMP and Kinder Morgan Management, LLC (NYSE: KMR). The company increased its quarterly distribution for the first time since going public in April 2011, to 30 cents/share. Yield: 4.20%
ONEOK, Inc. (OKE), a diversified energy company, operates as a natural gas distributor primarily in the United States. ONEOK Inc is the general partner behind ONEOK Partners (OKS). The company raised its quarterly dividend by 8% to 56 cents/share. ONEOK, Inc. has raised dividends to shareholders for nine consecutive years. Yield: 3% (analysis)
ONEOK Partners, L.P. (OKS) engages in the gathering, processing, storage, and transportation of natural gas in the United States. This master limited partnership increased its quarterly distributions to 58.5 cents per unit. ONEOK Partners has increased its quarterly distribution n each of the past six years. This MLP currently yields 5.30%.
Duncan Energy Partners L.P. (DEP) engages in gathering, transporting, marketing, and storing natural gas, as well as in transporting and storing natural gas liquids (NGLs), and petrochemical and refined products in the United States. This master limited partnership increased its quarterly distributions to 46 cents per unit. Duncan Energy Partners has increased its quarterly distributions in each of the past five years. This MLP yields 4.30%.
Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (MMP) , together with its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation, storage, and distribution of refined petroleum products and crude oil in the United States. This master limited partnership raised its quarterly distributions to 78.50 cents/unit. This dividend achiever has raised distributions for 11 years in a row. Yield: 5.20%
TransMontaigne Partners L.P. (TLP), which operates as a terminaling and transportation company increased its quarterly distributions to 62 cents per unit. TransMontaigne Partners has increased its quarterly distribution in each of the past seven years. This MLP currently yields 7%.
The notable non-MLP companies which announced dividend hikes over the past week included:
The J. M. Smucker Company (SJM), which engages in the manufacture and marketing of branded food products in the United States and internationally increased its quarterly distribution to 48 cents/share. The change represents an increase of nine percent, adding to the ten percent increase approved by the Board earlier this calendar year. This dividend achiever has raised distributions for 14 years in a row. Yield: 2.40%
C. R. Bard, Inc. (BCR), which engages in the design, manufacture, packaging, distribution, and sale of medical, surgical, diagnostic, and patient care devices worldwide, increased its quarterly dividend by 5.60% to 19 cents per share. C. R. Bard, Inc. is a dividend aristocrat, which has increased its quarterly dividend for 41 consecutive years. The stock currently yields 0.70%.
Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) operates as the holding company for Bar Harbor Bank & Trust that offers various banking products and services to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and municipalities in Hancock, Washington, and Knox Counties.. The company increased its quarterly dividend to 27.50 cents per share. Bar Harbor Bankshares has increased its quarterly dividend in each of the past eight years.. The stock currently yields 3.90%.
Lindsay Corporation (LNN) designs, manufactures, and sells automated agricultural irrigation systems that are primarily used in the agricultural industry to increase or stabilize crop production while conserving water, energy, and labor in the United States and internationally. The company increased its quarterly dividend by 5.90% to 9 cents per share. Lindsay Corporation has increased its quarterly dividend in each of the past nine years.. The stock currently yields 0.50%.
I recently sold my position in ONEOK Inc (OKE), which I accumulated at an average price in the low to mid 50s in 2010, at a very handsome profit. I then rolled the proceeds into units of ONEOK Partners (OKS), which at the time yielded almost twice as much as ONEOK Inc. While ONEOK Inc will grow dividends at a rapid pace for the next three years, the higher current yield of the partnership (OKS) as well as the opportunity for distribution growth and large tax deferral of the distribution make it a better investment.
Full Disclosure: Long OKS, KMR, KMI
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