Upcoming Dividends: 12 Companies, 3 Increases, 2 Double-Digit Increases

Summary

• This is the list of dividend stocks from the popular U.S. Dividend Champion, Challenger, Contender ("CCC") list that is going ex-dividend next week.
• The "CCC" list is the exhaustive list of U.S. companies that has a proven record of raising dividends every year. Companies must demonstrate 5+ years of consecutive dividend increases.
• The list is cross-referenced with upcoming dividend information from the NASDAQ to create the summary data listed below.

Introduction

The information presented below was created based on combining the "U.S. Dividend Champion" spreadsheet compiled by David Fish hosted here with upcoming dividend information from the NASDAQ. This meshes metrics about companies with dividend growth history with upcoming dividend payments (and whether those payments are increasing). These lists highlight the companies with a minimum 5-year dividend growth history.

There are companies that for various reasons do not appear in the more storied "Dividend Aristocrats" list. The list here is more exhaustive and may contain companies that otherwise may fly below the radar.

Lastly, the ex-dividend date is the day you are no longer entitled to the dividend or distribution. You need to have made your purchase by the preceding business day. If the date is a Tuesday, you need to have purchased (or already owned) shares by market close on Monday. Be aware that for any stock going ex-dividend on a Monday (or Tuesday if Monday may be a holiday), you must own it by the prior Friday.

Why Should I Care?

The old adage is that "trees don't grow to the sky" and neither do dividend yields. What these lists provide is an opportunity for an investor to buy more shares prior to an upcoming ex-dividend date if they so desire. An astute investor could start a position or increase their position size prior to the market readjusting to the new and higher dividend rate.

It is of my opinion that the dividend increase is the most outward sign by management as to how business is going. There are many great businesses that have provided generous raises year after year, and historical stock charts will show how the market has reacted. I've used these lists several times already for some of my own purchases, so I have been "eating my own dog food".

I do want to point out I'm not suggesting a short-term dividend capture strategy. If you are looking to own shares short term, be aware you may be on the hook for a tax for the dividend.

Dividend Streak Categories

Here are the definitions of the streak categories as I'll be using them throughout the piece.

• King: 50+ years
• Champion/Aristocrat: 25+ years
• Contender: 10-24 years
• Challenger: 5+ years

Fun Facts

Category	Count
King	1
Champion	2
Contender	2
Challenger	7

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The Main List

The data is sorted by the day (ascending) and then the streak (descending).

Name	Ticker	Streak	Current Yield	Ex-Div Date	Increase Percent	Streak Category
RPM International Inc.	(RPM)	44	2.6	4/16/2018		Champion
MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc.	(MSM)	16	2.56	4/16/2018		Contender
Oracle Corporation	(ORCL)	9	1.66	4/16/2018		Challenger
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.	(WST)	25	0.64	4/17/2018		Champion
Colgate-Palmolive Company	(CL)	55	2.26	4/19/2018	5.00%	King
WD-40 Company	(WDFC)	9	1.65	4/19/2018		Challenger
LTC Properties, Inc.	(LTC)	8	6.26	4/19/2018		Challenger
Oxford Industries, Inc.	(OXM)	8	1.39	4/19/2018	25.93%	Challenger
Foot Locker, Inc.	(FL)	8	2.7	4/19/2018	11.29%	Challenger
Main Street Capital Corporation	(MAIN)	7	6.16	4/19/2018		Challenger
Zoetis Inc. Class A	(ZTS)	6	0.6	4/19/2018		Challenger
CVS Health Corporation	(CVS)	14	3.13	4/20/2018		Contender

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Field Definitions

Streak: This is years of dividend growth history sourced from the U.S. Dividend Champions spreadsheet. Here are some definitions to clarify the fields.

Current Yield: This is a snapshot of roughly what the current yield is as of the time of writing. This is not a forward yield if the company in question has raised its dividend.

Ex-Dividend Date: This is the date you need to own the stock by.

Increase Percent: If the payment amount is being increased in this payment, this is the size of that increase.

Streak Category: Lastly, this is the overall dividend history classification of the company.

Notes

The week for next week is a lot smaller than the lists have been in the earlier part of this year. We've peaked into the upper 80s in terms of companies paying, and this week is a mere dozen.

Additionally, be aware that CVS has currently frozen its dividend due to its pending merger with Aetna (AET).

Additional Metrics

Here are some additional metrics related to these companies, including yearly pricing action and the PE ratio. This table is sorted in exactly the same way as the table above. The value investor may find stock ideas with those companies near their 52-week low.

Ticker	Current Price	52 Week Low	52 Week High	PE Ratio	% Off Low	% Off High
RPM	48.78	46.36	56.69	17.42	4% Off Low	14% Off High
MSM	88.19	65.42	99.94	16.73	39% Off Low	4% Off High
ORCL	45.61	43.6	53.48	55.62	4% Off Low	14% Off High
WST	87.33	77.97	103.36	43.88	11% Off Low	15% Off High
CL	71.38	67.86	77.91	31.3	5% Off Low	8% Off High
WDFC	132.6	100.6	134.45	33.26	30% Off Low	2% Off High
OXM	77.8	52.54	84.32	20	41% Off Low	9% Off High
LTC	37.21	36.17	52.85	16.91	3% Off Low	29% Off High
FL	46.11	28.42	77.86	21.34	62% Off Low	39% Off High
MAIN	37.06	34.37	41.51	12.4	8% Off Low	10% Off High
ZTS	83.07	52.53	85.73	47.47	57% Off Low	3% Off High
CVS	63.07	60.14	84	9.75	5% Off Low	23% Off High

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Tickers By Yield (With Growth Rates)

Some investors are more interested in current yield, so this table is sorted descending by yield. This also includes some of the historical dividend growth rates as a bonus. Additionally, the "Chowder Rule" has been included. That is the current yield plus the 5-year dividend growth rate.

Ticker	Yield	1 Yr DG	3 Yr DG	5 Year DG	10 Yr DG	Chowder Rule
MAIN	6.15	2.8	3.9	5.5	21.1	11.7
LTC	6.13	4.1	3.8	5	4.3	11.1
CVS	3.17	17.6	22.1	25.2	24.2	28.4
FL	2.69	12.1	11.9	11.3	9.2	14
MSM	2.63	5.2	9.6	11.8	10.4	14.4
RPM	2.62	8.4	7.6	7	5.5	9.6
CL	2.24	2.6	3.8	5.4	8.6	7.6
ORCL	1.67	20	14.5	24.6		26.3
WDFC	1.63	16.7	13	11.1	7	12.7
OXM	1.39	1.9	10.1	13.2	4.1	14.6
WST	0.64	8.2	8.9	7.7	7.2	8.3
ZTS	0.6	10.5	13.4

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Conclusion

I hope you are able to find this information valuable. I'm open to any suggestions you may have to make this more valuable.

As always, do your due diligence on any stock before buying or selling. Happy investing!

Analyst’s Disclosure: I am/we are long AAPL, ABT, AFL, AMP, AMZN, ANTM, BRK.B, CMI, CSCO, CVS, DEO, DIS, DUK, FB, GLW, GOOG, HD, JNJ, JPM, MDT, MO, NKE, O, OHI, PRU, PSA, SBUX, SCHD, SKT, SPHD, STAG, SWK, T, TROW, TRV, UA, UTX, VFC, VTR, VZ, WPC, WSM. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.