Dividend Increases Week 46, 2021

In this article, I will go through the weekly dividend increases and cuts in popular and well-known stocks. (Member of The Dividend Champions or Canadian All-Star list)

 

Recently, 21 companies announced dividend increases. Note that no dividend cuts or suspensions were announced during this period.

 

The table below summarises the dividend change announcements.  The table shows the current dividend, the new dividend and the percentage increase (%). Dividends are shown on an annual basis and in US dollars unless otherwise stated. Yield is the new dividend yield of the most recent price, and Years is the years of consecutive dividend increases.

 

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of May 25, 2020

Upgrades:

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) was upgraded by equities researchers at SunTrust Banks from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday, The Fly reports. The firm presently has a $73.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. SunTrust Banks’ target price suggests a potential downside of 0.46% from the stock’s current price.

 

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on GILD. Wells Fargo & Co restated a “hold” rating and issued a $84.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $89.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Gilead Sciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $78.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BidaskClub cut Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $78.26. Read more …

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Bank of America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a $250.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock. Bank of America‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 23.65% from the stock’s previous close.

 

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $162.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $175.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Rosenblatt Securities lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $155.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, G.Research downgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $188.83. Read more …

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) was upgraded by analysts at UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

 

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Susquehanna Bancshares raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Bank of America raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Raymond James raised shares of Southwest Airlines from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Evercore ISI raised shares of Southwest Airlines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Southwest Airlines from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $49.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Southwest Airlines presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.33. Read more …

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of June 25, 2018

Upgrades:

Atlantic Securities upgraded shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. A number of other brokerages also recently commented on MSFT. Argus restated a focus list rating and set a $116.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, June 6th. Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating and set a $117.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, June 5th. Barclays restated a buy rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, June 14th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a buy rating and set a $107.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, June 13th. Finally, Macquarie restated a neutral rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, June 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $105.49. Read more …

Citigroup upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $176.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock. NSC has been the subject of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a hold rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Tuesday, April 10th. TD Securities upped their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 26th. Cowen reissued a buy rating and issued a $167.00 price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Wednesday, April 25th. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Norfolk Southern from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 13th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group upped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $148.67. Read more …

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) was upgraded by stock analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to an “outperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, The Fly reports. Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Barclays cut their target price on Kinder Morgan from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 17th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $16.17 target price (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Kinder Morgan in a research report on Thursday, April 19th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Kinder Morgan from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Co upgraded Kinder Morgan from a “market perform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank began coverage on Kinder Morgan in a research report on Thursday, April 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $21.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $20.82. Read more …

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) was upgraded by research analysts at Susquehanna Bancshares from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday. Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. ValuEngine upgraded shares of Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 2nd. Pivotal Research set a $180.00 target price on shares of Accenture and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Wednesday, April 25th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $176.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $170.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Accenture currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $164.59. Read more …

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of September 25, 2017

Upgrades:

Deutsche Bank AG upgraded shares of General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $51.00 price objective on the auto manufacturer’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $36.00. Several other equities analysts have also commented on GM. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of General Motors in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. They issued a market perform rating and a $33.00 target price on the stock. BidaskClub lowered shares of General Motors from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, June 24th. Read more …

J P Morgan Chase & Co upgraded shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has $74.00 price target on the apparel retailer’s stock, up from their previous price target of $65.00. A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. BidaskClub lowered shares of Ross Stores from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Saturday, June 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $67.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Monday, June 19th. Read more …

J P Morgan Chase & Co upgraded shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report report published on Monday morning. The firm currently has $70.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock. Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus restated a buy rating and issued a $84.00 price objective on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research report on Thursday, September 21st. BidaskClub upgraded Compass Minerals International from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 12th. Read more …

Kimco Realty Corporation (NYSE:KIM) was upgraded by analysts at J P Morgan Chase & Co from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday. A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Zacks Investment Research lowered Kimco Realty Corporation from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 5th. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) upgraded Kimco Realty Corporation from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $18.70 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 20th. Argus lowered Kimco Realty Corporation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 28th. Read more …

BF-B (NASDAQ:BF-B) was upgraded by equities researchers at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday. Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Societe Generale reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of BF-B in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. Citigroup Inc. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $58.00 price target (up previously from $54.00) on shares of BF-B in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Read more …

Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE:PM) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) from a “buy” rating to a “conviction-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday. The firm currently has a $135.00 price target on the stock. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The)’s price target suggests a potential upside of 20.96% from the company’s current price. Several other research analysts have also recently commented on PM. SBG Securities upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $118.00 to $119.00 in a report on Friday, August 11th. Berenberg Bank set a $96.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 24th. Read more …

Longbow Research upgraded shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning. They currently have $183.00 target price on the fast-food giant’s stock, up from their prior target price of $154.05. “Our expectations for MCD to report better than expected U.S. same-store sales growth in 3Q17 should drive both earnings and multiple upside,” the analyst concluded. “Furthermore, the company has a couple of key initiatives that could drive further comp upside in coming quarters.,” the firm’s analyst commented. Read more …

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:TROW) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday. A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Barclays PLC initiated coverage on T. Rowe Price Group in a report on Friday, September 8th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $79.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Group LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $96.00 price objective on shares of T. Rowe Price Group in a report on Sunday, August 20th. Read more …

Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO) was upgraded by Royal Bank Of Canada from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $53.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 8.30% from the company’s current price. SO has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Southern Company (The) from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank AG raised shares of Southern Company (The) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $50.00 to $52.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. Read more …

Downgrades:

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) was downgraded by equities research analysts at UBS AG from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Monday, 247wallst.com reports. They currently have a $92.00 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of $79.00. UBS AG’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 5.17% from the stock’s previous close. ABBV has been the subject of several other reports. Vetr upgraded AbbVie from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $76.28 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank AG reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $66.00 price objective (up from $65.00) on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Monday, July 17th. Read more …

Citigroup Inc. cut shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday. The brokerage currently has $77.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock, down from their prior price target of $82.00. AFL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Aflac from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday. ValuEngine raised shares of Aflac from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 1st. Barclays PLC lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, August 11th. Read more …

Invesco PLC (NYSE:IVZ) was downgraded by investment analysts at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. They currently have a $37.00 price objective on the asset manager’s stock. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The)’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 7.56% from the stock’s current price. Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on IVZ. Jefferies Group LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 target price on shares of Invesco PLC in a research note on Sunday, July 30th. Read more …