This industrial marks 81 years of dividends

Article Excerpt

UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORP. $118 (New York symbol UTX; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 805.9 million; Market cap: $95.1 billion; Dividend yield: 2.2%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.utc.com) has four main businesses: Climate, Controls & Security (29% of 2016 revenue, 33% of earnings) makes Carrier heating and air-conditioning equipment, as well as burglar alarms and fire-safety products; Pratt & Whitney (26%, 17%) manufactures aircraft engines; Aerospace Systems (25%, 26%) makes engine-control systems and other aircraft parts; and Otis (20%, 24%) makes elevators and escalators. The U.S. government accounts for 10% of the company’s revenue. United Technologies has paid dividends continuously since 1936 and has raised its payout each year since 1994. The last increase came in June 2016 when it raised that quarterly payment by 3.1%, to $0.66 a share from $0.64. The new annual rate of $2.64 yields 2.2%. Big acquisition fuelled revenue, earnings The company’s revenue rose 12.8%, from $57.7 billion in 2012 to $65.1 billion in…