Top U.S. dividend payers continue to shine

Article Excerpt

Both 3M and McDonald’s have hit all-time highs this year. That’s mainly due to their long-term plans to improve the profitability of their main businesses. Better earnings will also let them keep raising their dividends. 3M COMPANY $213 (New York symbol MMM; IncomeGrowth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 597.2 million; Market cap: $127.2 billion; Dividend yield: 2.2%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.3m.com) makes over 60,000 consumer and industrial goods, including Post-It notes, Scotch tape, Scotchguard fabric protection and Thinsulate insulation. With the March 2017 payment, the company raised its quarterly dividend by 5.9%, to $1.175 a share from $1.11. The new annual rate of $4.70 yields 2.2%. 3M has increased that payout each year for the past 59 years. In the first quarter of 2017, overall sales rose 3.7%, to $7.7 billion from $7.4 billion a year earlier. If you factor out currency rates and businesses that 3M bought and sold, sales improved 4.6%. Earnings gained 3.8%, to $1.33…