Dividend investors would be wise to focus not just on a stock’s current yield, but also on the long-term growth potential of its dividends. That’s because strong businesses that consistently raise their dividend payouts reward shareholders with a steadily rising income stream that essentially equates to a raise every year. And, well, who doesn’t like a raise?
But there are other reasons to value dividend growth so highly, and they’re well supported by research. For instance, a study by C. Thomas Howard published in Advisor Perspectives found that for every percentage point a stock’s yield rises, its annual return increases by 0.22 percentage points if it’s a large cap, 0.25 if it’s a mid cap, and 0.46 if it’s a small cap. Even better, Howard found that dividend-growing stocks outperformed dividend cutters by 10 percentage points per year from 1973 to 2010 and beat both flat- and no-dividend stocks. And the icing on the cake is that Howard showed that this outperformance came with a third less volatility. Higher returns, less volatility-induced stress, and a steadily growing income stream — what’s not to love?
With that in mind, here are five stocks that have grown their dividends by more than 10% in the past year.
| Company | 1-Year Dividend Growth Rate |
|---|---|
| Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) | 10.4% |
| Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) | 10.2% |
| McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) | 10.2% |
| Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) | 10% |
| Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) | 10% |
Source: S&P Capital IQ.
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) provides technologically advanced products, services, and integrated solutions in aerospace, electronics, and shipbuilding to its global customers. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) currently sports a four-star rating in CAPS and is yielding 2.6%.
McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) is diversified specialty food company and a global leader in the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of spices, herbs, seasonings and other flavors to the entire food industry. Fools have given the spice maker a top five-star rating in CAPS, and its stock is yielding 1.9%.
Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) is a provider of business outsourcing solutions. It offers a number of HR, payroll, tax, and benefits administration solutions from a single source and also provides integrated computing solutions to automotive and recreational vehicle dealers. This Fool favorite has a five-star CAPS rating and offers investors a 2.4% dividend.
Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) aims to offer it all in the tech world, from hardware and servers to technology services to enterprise IT management. Unfortunately, HP has struggled in recent years, and investors currently believe that it deserves a lower-tier two star ranking on CAPS. However, HP’s stock has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, and offers investors a growing 2.1% yield.
The article 5 Stocks Growing Their Dividends by 10% Per Year originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Joe Tenebruso.
Joe Tenebruso manages a Real-Money Portfolio for The Motley Fool and is an analyst on The Fool’s Stock Advisor and Supernova premium service teams. You can connect with him on Twitter: @Tier1Investor. Joe has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Automatic Data Processing and owns shares of Northrop Grumman and Philip Morris International.
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