Dividend Stocks 2014: 25 New Increases for Yield Seekers

Dividend stocks update: One of the many advantages of dividend-paying stocks is that they provide investors with consistent income.

Wharton School professor and famous investment book author Jeremy Siegel has found that up until the early 1990s, roughly three-quarters of the real return from the stock market came from dividends, compared to just one quarter from capital gains.

Dividends are also a reliable indicator of a company's health. It's a healthy sign if a company rewards shareholders with dividends and still has cash for expansion and capital investments. It also suggests management is focused on shareholders' best interest.

Last week, some 62 companies boosted payouts, bringing the total number of dividend increases over the first two weeks this month to 135. Following are the 25 most notable dividend increases for the week ending Feb. 14.

25 Dividend-Paying Stocks That Just Hiked Their Payouts

Alliance Bernstein Holdings (NYSE: AB) raised its dividend 50% to $0.60 a share for a 9.19% yield.

American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) increased its dividend 25% to $0.125 a share for a near 1% yield.

AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN) upped its semi-annual payout 111% to $1.90 a share for a new yield of 4.15%.

Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) boosted its dividend 252% to $0.23 a share. The stock's yield is 2.42%.

Just-released: Of the almost 5,000 dividend-paying stocks to choose from, these three companies provide superior payouts and superior long-term grown potential.

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) goosed its dividend $0.02, or 12%, to $0.19 a share for a 3.3% yield. This marks the fourth increase since the world's No. 1 provider of computer networking equipment initiated disbursements in March 2011 at $0.06 a share.

Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) hiked its dividend 13.6% to $0.25 a share for a 1.26% yield.

FLIR Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: FLIR) fattened its distribution 11% to $0.10 a share for a 1.29% yield.