PepsiCo announced this week that they are increasing the dividend payout for the 42nd consecutive year.
Photo courtesy Don O’Brien via flickr.com.

Two Aristocrats announced double-digit percentage increases in their dividends, while four other Aristocrats announced regular dividend payouts this week.

Cardinal Health (quote, company overview) announced a 4-cent, or 13.2% increase in its quarterly dividend.  The new dividend is 34.25 cents quarterly, or $1.37 annually per share.  The increase is a bit lower but consistent Cardinal Health’s recent dividend growth.  Cardinal Health’s 5 year compounded annual dividend growth rate (CADGR) is 16.97%.  Cardinal Health provides pharmaceuticals and medical products and services to hospitals, surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and other health care facilities.  The new dividend is payable on July 15^th to shareholders of record on July 1^st and yields 2.13% on an annual basis at current prices.

Soft drink, beverage and snack company PepsiCo (quote, company overview) confirmed their prior intention to increase the company’s dividend for the 42^nd consecutive year.  The new quarterly dividend will be 65.5 cents per share, up from 56.75 cents.  The new dividend is payable on June 30^th to shareholders of record on June 6^th.  The 15.4% increase is much greater than the company’s 5 year CADGR of 6.30% and in line with, but slightly larger than PepsiCo’s 10 year CADGR of 13.52%.  At an annual rate of $2.62 per share, PepsiCo currently yields 3.01%.

Four Aristocrats – including two global industrial technology companies – announced regular dividend payouts:

Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (SIAL), which develops, manufactures and provides biochemical and organic chemical products, kits and services to industry, health sciences companies and researchers, announced a regular quarterly dividend payment of 23 cents per share.  The dividend will be paid on June 13^th to shareholders of record on May 30^th.  Sigma-Aldrich increased their annual dividend for the 33^rd consecutive year at the beginning of 2014 when they raised the quarterly dividend by 1.5 cents, or 7.0%, from 21.5 cents.  Sigma-Aldrich stock currently yields 0.95%.

Water and energy technology company Ecolab (ECL) will pay a quarterly dividend of 27.5 cents per share on July 15^th to shareholders of record on June 17^th.  This continues Ecolab’s record of 77 consecutive years of dividend payouts.  Ecolab currently yields 1.05%.

Diversified global manufacturing and technology company Emerson (EMR) which produces, among other things, industrial electrical equipment announced a regular quarterly dividend payment of 43 cents per share, to be paid on June 10^th to shareholders of record on May 16^th.  Emerson last increased its dividend payment by 4.9% (from 41 cents per share) in December 2013; the company is expected to announce the next dividend increase in November 2014.  The stock currently yields 2.56%.

Leggett & Platt (LEG), manufacturer of residential and business furnishings, announced a regular quarterly dividend payment of 30 cents per share.  The dividend is payable on July 15^th to shareholders of record on June 13^th.  Leggett & Platt has increased its dividend payments for 43 consecutive years and last increased its quarterly dividend in October 2013 by 3.4%, from 29 cents to 30 cents.  The stock currently yields 3.59%.