We are over a week removed from the end of January, but it’s never too late to look back at the five companies that rewarded their shareholders with dividend hikes. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at each.
Crius Energy Trust (TSX:KWH.UN)
Crius Energy Trust provides investors with a distribution-producing investment through its indirect 100% ownership interest in Crius Energy, LLC, a leading provider of innovative electricity, natural gas, and solar products in the United States. In a press release on January 12, it announced a 2% increase to its monthly distribution to $0.0697 per unit, representing $0.8368 per unit annually, which gives it a 9.5% yield. It has raised its distribution each of the last two years, and its two hikes in the last five months have it on track for 2018 to mark the third straight year with an increase.
Canadian National Railway Company (TSX: CNR)(NYSE: CNI)
Canadian National Railway Company is Canada’s largest rail network operator with approximately 20,000 route-miles of track. In its fiscal 2017 fourth-quarter earnings release on January 23, it announced a 10.3% increase to its quarterly dividend to $0.455 per share, representing $1.82 per share annually, which gives it a 1.9% yield. It has raised its annual dividend payment for 21 straight years, and this hike has it on pace for 2018 to mark the 22nd straight year with an increase.
Richelieu Hardware Ltd. (TSX: RCH)
Richelieu Hardware is one of North America’s largest importers, manufacturers, and distributors of specialty hardware and complementary products. In its fourth-quarter earnings release on January 25, it announced a 5.8% increase to its quarterly dividend to $0.06 per share, representing $0.24 per share annually, which gives it a 0.8% yield. It has raised its dividend for eight consecutive years, and this increase has it positioned for 2018 to mark the ninth straight year with an increase.
Metro, Inc. (TSX: MRU)
Metro is one of Canada’s leading retailers and distributors of food and pharmaceuticals through its network of supermarkets, discount stores, and drug stores. In its fiscal 2018 first-quarter earnings release on January 30, it announced a 10.8% increase to its quarterly dividend to $0.18 per share, representing $0.72 per share annually, which gives it a 1.8% yield. It has raised its dividend for 23 straight years, and this hike has it on track for fiscal 2018 to mark the 24th straight year with an increase.
Exco Technologies Limited (TSX: XTC)
Exco Technologies is one of the world’s leading suppliers of innovative technologies to the die-cast, extrusion, and automotive industries. In its fiscal 2018 first-quarter earnings release on January 31, it announced a 6.3% increase to its quarterly dividend to $0.085 per share, representing $0.34 per share annually, which gives it a 3.45% yield. It has raised its dividend for eight consecutive years, and this increase puts it on pace for fiscal 2018 to mark the ninth consecutive year with an increase.
