Are Dividend Increases Seasonal?

After I recently modified a series of articles about dividend increases that were expected in the near future from a monthly to a twice-monthly schedule (and extended the “forward look” from the next month to the next 10 weeks), I wondered about the possible seasonality of such increases. It appeared that the number of increases during the summer was lower than what I had seen earlier in the year.

Although this analysis seems to confirm that springtime is the season for dividend increases – at least, among companies with long histories of annual increases – there are still plenty of high-quality companies, like those mentioned above, that reward their shareholders with higher payouts throughout the year. Of course, there are other companies that are now adopting patterns of increasing dividends, but I think the best evidence of seasonality is provided by the 449 companies that have paid higher amounts for at least five straight years.

Source: Seeking Alpha

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