Dividend Stocks 2014: 30 New Increases for Yield-Hungry Investors

Dividend stocks update: Building a carefully curated long-term dividend strategy is a reliable way to reap consistent returns on investment dollars.

Indeed, a study conducted by Morgan Stanley showed that 42% of the stock market's total returns since 1930 are thanks to dividends. In four of the past eight decades, dividends contributed more to equity returns than capital appreciation.

Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald says the best dividend strategy is to go after companies that boost payouts. "The best companies are dividend growers, meaning they are constantly increasing their dividends. It's in your interest to acquire them because you benefit not only from the cold hard cash paid out from time to time, but also from the growth in your cash flow."

Some 60 companies sweetened the payout pot last week. Following are 30 notable dividend increases for the week ending March 7.

Dividend-Paying Stocks That Just Hiked Their Payouts

Agree Realty Corp. (NYSE: ADC) increased its dividend $0.02 to $0.43 a share for a 5.54% yield.

American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT) upped its dividend 10% to $0.32 a share for a 1.43% yield.

Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE: BNS) boosted its dividend 3.2% to $0.57 a share for a 4% yield.

British American Tobacco PLC (NYSE ADR: BTI) increased its semi-annual payout 124% to $3.26 a share for a 4.26% yield.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (NYSE: CNQ) raised its payout 12.5% to $0.20 a share for a 2.2% yield.

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Cato Corp. (Nasdaq: CATO) increased its dividend a quarter to $0.30 a share for a 4.4% yield.

Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE ADR: CS) hiked its annual dividend 644% to $0.79 a share.

Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN) boosted its payout by $0.02 to $0.24 a share for a 1.36% yield

Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) fattened its dividend a nickel to $0.31 a share for a near 2% yield.

GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) grew its dividend 20% to $0.33 a share for a 3.4% yield. The world's No. 1 multichannel video game retailer initiated payouts in February 2012 at a rate of $0.15 per share.

General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) goosed its dividend $0.06 to $0.62 a share for a 2.23% yield. The increase marks the defense contractor's 17th consecutive annual enrichment. The 115-year-old Virginia-based company has paid dividends without interruptions since 1979.

Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HRC) raised its dividend 11% to $0.15 a share for a 1.44% yield.

Horace Man Educators Corp. (NYSE: HMN) increased its dividend 18% to $0.23 a share for a 2.7% yield.

Icahn Enterprises LP (Nasdaq: IEP) hiked its dividend a quarter to $1.50 a share for a yield of 5.07%.

Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. (NYSE: MJN) moved its dividend up 10.3% to $0.37 a share for a 1.78% yield.

Miller Industries Inc. (NYSE: MLR) increased its dividend a penny to $0.15 a share for a yield of 3.09%.

Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: NUS) upped its dividend $0.04 to $0.34 a share for a 1.75% yield.

Piedmont Natural Gas Co. (NYSE: PNY) boosted its dividend 3.2% to $0.32 a share for a 3.8% yield.

Premier Financial Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: PFBI) padded its dividend by a penny to $0.12 a share for a 3.3% yield.

QUALCOMM Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) boosted its dividend $0.07 to $0.42 a share for a 2.3% yield. The San Diego-based company has returned more than $28 billion to shareholders through repurchases and dividends since 2003.

Ryman Hospitality Properties Inc. (Nasdaq: RHP) raised its dividend a nickel to $0.55 a share for a yield of 5.2%.

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Salem Communications Corp. (Nasdaq: SALM) hiked its dividend $0.02 to $0.057 a share for a 2.32% yield.

Saul Centers Inc. (NYSE: BFS) sweetened its dividend 11% to $0.40 a share for a 3.34% yield.

Seaspan Corp. (NYSE: SSW) increased its quarterly payout 10.4% to $0.34 a share for a 6.3% yield. The Hong Kong-based operator of container fleets started payouts in 2005, but slashed distributions 79% during the financial crisis. This latest increase is the fifth boost since dividends started rising in July 2010.

Spartan Stores Inc. (Nasdaq: SPTN) raised its dividend $0.03 to $0.12 a share for a 2.07% yield.

Taubman Centers Inc. (NYSE: TCO) boosted its dividend 8% to $0.54 a share for a near 3% yield.

URS Corp. (NYSE: URS) upped its dividend a penny to $0.21 a share for a yield just shy of 2%.

U.S. Physical Therapy Inc. (NYSE: USPH) raised its dividend $0.02 to $0.12 a share for a 1.5% yield.

WPP Group PLC (Nasdaq ADS: WPPGY) increased its semi-annual payout 135% to $1.97 a share for a yield of 2.65%.

Zimmer Holdings (NYSE: ZMH) raised its dividend $0.02 to $0.22 a share for a near 1% yield.

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