One of over 1800 Lowe’s Stores. Photo courtesy of Mike Mozart/JeepersMedia via Flickr.

This week, home improvement retailer Lowe’s (LOW) announced their latest regular quarterly dividend of 18 cents per share.  The dividend is payable on May 7th to shareholders of record on April 23rd.  Lowe’s stock currently yields 1.46%.  The company has paid a cash dividend each quarter since going public in 1961.  Lowe’s next dividend increase is expected to be announced at the company’s shareholder meeting at the end of May to be paid in August.

Chemical materials and equipment supplier Air Products and Chemicals (APD: current quote, company summary) announced their 32nd consecutive annual dividend increase this week.  The new payout will be 77 cents per share, up 8% from 71 cents per share in the prior quarter.  In 2013, Air Products increased their dividend by nearly 11%, from 64 cents.  The new dividend will be paid on May 12th to shareholders of record on April 1st, and at an annual rate of $3.08 gives the stock a current yield of 2.52%.