Wyndham Hotels raised its dividend this week.
Roger Kisby/Bloomberg
M&T Bank
,
and
Nike
were among the many U.S. companies that announced dividend increases this week.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (ticker:WH) declared a quarterly disbursement of 32 cents a share, up 33% from 24 cents—and back to pre-pandemic levels.
The New Jersey-based company franchises hotels globally, many focused on economy and midscale customers. The stock, which yields 1.5%, returned about 49% this year through Nov. 18, dividends included, compared with about 27% for the
M&T Bank (MTB) plans to boost its quarterly payout by 9% to $1.20 a share from $1.10. The regional bank’s stock, which has returned about 28% this year, yields 3%.
Another regional bank,
KeyCorp
(KEY), said it will raise its quarterly dividend by a penny, or about 5%, to 19.5 cents a share. The stock, which yields 3.2%, has returned about 48% this year.
Lear
(LEA), an automotive supplier, said it will boost its regular quarterly cash dividend to 77 cents a share, up 54% from 50 cents. The company had suspended its dividend during the pandemic last year. It reinstated the dividend late last year at 25 cents a share, before increasing it to 50 cents this summer.
The stock yields 1%, and it has returned about 15% this year.
Nike (NKE) declared a quarterly disbursement of 30.5 cents a share. That’s an increase of 11%. The apparel and footwear maker’s stock, which yields 0.6%, has returned about 22% this year.
Insurer
Aflac
(AFL) said it will boost its quarterly dividend to 40 cents a share from 33 cents. That’s an increase of 21%.
The stock, which has returned about 29% this year, yields 2.9%.
HP
(HPQ) declared a quarterly payout of 25 cents a share, an increase of nearly 30%. The company’s products include printers. The stock has returned about 30% in 2021, and it yields 2.5%.
Motorola Solutions
(MSI) plans to boost its quarterly disbursement to 79 cents a share from 71 cents for an increase of about 11%. The stock, which has returned about 53%, yields 1.1%.
Brown-Forman
(BF.B) said it will raise its quarterly dividend to 18.85 cents a share from 17.95 cents. That’s a 5% hike. It marks the 38th straight year in which the company has increased its dividend.
The company’s board also declared a special dividend of $1 a share on its Class A and B stock. Brown-Forman’s brands include Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. The stock has returned about minus 8% year to date, and it yields 1%.
Agilent Technologies
(A) said it will raise its quarterly dividend to 21 cents a share from 19.4 cents. That’s an 8% hike. The stock, which yields 0.5%, has returned about 38% this year.
Write to Lawrence C. Strauss at lawrence.strauss@barrons.com
