S&P 500 companies make record dividend payouts

• S&P 500 firms paid $124B in regular cash dividends in Q2, a record. In Q2 2017, they payed $112B - which translates to an 11% increase.
• 83% of S&P 500 firms declared a dividend in Q2.
• 89 companies boosted dividends in Q2, vs. 67 companies a year ago.
• 43 companies retained the ’aristocrat’ status of 25 years of consecutive dividend raises.
• While this all bodes well for the fundamentals, the S&P 500's yield of 1.92% isn't going to attract serious yield seekers. It's down from 1.97% a year ago, but recovered from a steep drop that put it at 1.76% in January.
• Top dividend-specific ETFs by AUM: VIG, VYM, DVY, SDY, SCHD, HDV and IDV
• Top dividend-specific ETFs by yield: KBWD, SRET, ALTY, DIVA, SPFF, PFFR, SDIV, and DRW