Dividend Changes

Since I started to do my monthly list of dividends stocks I follow, I have stated how many of my companies have increased or decreased (including suspension of) dividends. Below is a table of the results. You can see that we are doing quite well so far in 2017. The increases per month are above the medina and the decreases are below the median for the last few years

Mths	2017	2017		2016	2016		2015	2015		2014	2014	Med	Med
	Incr	Decr		Incr	Decr		Incr	Decr		Incr	Decr	Incr	Decr
Jan	5	1		4	0		4	0				4.0	0.0
Feb	10	0		5	2		8	0		14	0	9.0	0.0
Mar	23	0		18	5		19	3		15	1	18.5	2.0
Apr	10	2		8	4		9	3		14	0	9.5	2.5
May				3	2		6	1		7	1	6.0	1.0
Jun				18	0		14	1		14	1	14.0	1.0
Jul				3	1		6	1		3	0	3.0	1.0
Aug				4	0		4	2		9	0	4.0	0.0
Sep				7	1		7	3		9	0	7.0	1.0
Oct							1	1		1	1	1.0	1.0
Nov				6	0		4	1				5.0	0.5
Dec				12	0		13	2		13	0	13.0	0
Tot	48	3		88	15		95	18		99	4	94.0	10.0

If you look at the chart below it would seem that to April in 2017 is better in the increases that other years, but does not beat 2014 in decreases.

Mths	2017	2017		2016	2016		2015	2015		2014	2014	Med	Med
	Incr	Decr		Incr	Decr		Incr	Decr		Incr	Decr	Incr	Decr
Jan	5	1		4	0		4	0				4.0	0.0
Feb	10	0		5	2		8	0		14	0	9.0	0.0
Mar	23	0		18	5		19	3		15	1	18.5	2.0
Apr	10	2		8	4		9	3		14	0	9.5	2.5
Tot	48	3		35	11		40	6		43	1	41.0	4.5

All this could be looked at very positively. Dividends are generally increased because the company feels that it will be getting earnings to cover them.

Of course everything probably depends on your point of view. You could view increasing number of dividend increases as either good or bad. They could probably point to a strong market or a market top.

On my other blog I wrote yesterday about Pembina Pipelines Corp. (TSX-PPL, NYSE-PBA)... learn more. Today, I will write about Barclays PLC ADR (LSE-BARC, NYSE-BCS)... learn more on Thursday, April 13, 2017 around 5 pm.

This blog is meant for educational purposes only, and is not to provide investment advice. Before making any investment decision, you should always do your own research or consult an investment professional. I do research for my own edification and I am willing to share. I write what I think and I may or may not be correct.

See my site for an index to these blog entries and for stocks followed. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk. The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.