SPEAKING OF DIVIDENDS Blue Chips Are Set to Boost Their Dividends The largest U.S. companies are set to increase their payouts this quarter, led by technology firms. By LAWRENCE C. STRAUSS July 29, 2017 Getty Images/iStockphoto The third quarter is shaping up to be a very strong one for dividend growth among U.S. blue-chip names. Ordinary cash dividends among Standard & Poor’s 500 companies will come in at $109 billion in the quarter, up 8.7% from last year, predictsIHS MarkitDividend Forecasting, a data provider. “All sectors are performing fairly well,” says Sandy Pu, a senior research analyst at IHS Markit, adding she doesn’t expect dividend cuts in any sector in the quarter, which ends Sept. 30. Week’s Dividend Payments:NYSE | Nasdaq | NYSE MKT| Week’s Ex-Dividend Payments:NYSE | Nasdaq | NYSE MKT Dividend Payment Boosts Stock Splits/Dividends Special Dividends In last year’s third quarter, S&P 500 dividends totaled about $100 billion, up 4% from the same period in 2015. IHS Markit expects technology companies to lead the way, with third-quarter payouts of $17.3 billion, followed by health care, at $11.7 billion; industrial goods and services, $10.8 billion; and oil and gas, $10.8 billion. That shows how energy companies have begun to stabilize—and even rebound in some cases. This coming month, however, isn’t expected to be a busy time for U.S. blue-chip corporate boards to declare dividend increases. Two exceptions that IHS Markit expects to announce increases:Mondelez International(ticker: MDLZ), which makes snack food and beverages, and software providerIntuit(INTU). IHS Markit expects Intuit to declare a dividend hike of 15% and Mondelez, a 10.5% hike. Last year the company’s payout ratio—the percentage of earnings paid out as dividends—was a reasonable 36%. In September, tech behemothMicrosoft(MSFT) is expected to raise its quarterly dividend by 10.3%, to 43 cents a share. The stock sports an attractive yield of 2.1%. Even though it has big capital expenses,Royal Caribbean Cruises(RCL) still manages to pay a dividend. Its yield is 1.7%. IHS Markit predicts the cruise operator will boost its quarterly payout by nearly 15%, to 55 cents a share, keeping its payout ratio at around 30%. Two other companies that IHS Markit expects to raise dividends in September are fast-food giantYum! Brands(YUM) and consulting firmAccenture(ACN), which are projected to boost payout by 13.3% and 10%, respectively. IN OTHER NEWS,Wells Fargo(WFC) announced a 2.6% quarterly dividend increase to 39 cents a share from 38 cents. Late last week, the bank’s stock was yielding 2.9%…Synchrony Financial(SYF) has declared a quarterly dividend of 15 cents a share, up 15% increase from 13 cents. Yield: 2%…Amphenol(APH), whose products include fiber-optic connectors, is raising its dividend to 19 cents a share, up from 16 cents. Yield: 1%…Natural-gas outfit Oneok (OKE) is boosting its quarterly payout to 74.5 cents a share, up 21% from 61.5 cents. Yield: 5.3%…Regional bankBB&T(BBT) declared a quarterly dividend of 33 cents a share, a 10% gain. Yield: 2.8%…Another regional bank,Comerica(CMA), is raising its quarterly by 15%, or four cents, to 30 cents a share. Yield: 1.7%. http://www.barrons.com/articles/blue-chips-are-set-to-boost-their-dividends-1501303524