Northrop Grumman said it would raise its stock dividend.

Courtesy of Northrop Grumman

American Tower , Chubb , and Northrop Grumman were among the U.S. companies this week that announced plans to boost their dividends.

American Tower (ticker: AMT) declared a quarterly distribution of $1.43 a share, up from $1.40, for an increase of 2%. The stock, which yields 2.3%, has returned about minus 20% this year, dividends included, through the close on May 19. That compares with a minus 18% return for the S&P 500 .

Chubb (CB), an insurance company, said it plans to boost its quarterly disbursement to 83 cents a share, an increase of nearly 4% from 80 cents. On an annual basis, that is $3.32 a share. The stock yields 1.6%, and it has returned about 6% this year. This marks the 29th consecutive annual dividend increase for the company.

Aerospace and defense firm Northrop Grumman (NOC) declared a quarterly disbursement of $1.73 a share. That’s an increase of 10% from $1.57 a share. The stock, which yields 1.6%, has returned 16% so far this year.

M osaic ( MOS
) said it will raise its quarterly payout to 15 cents a share, up by 33% from 11.25 cents. The stock, which has returned 56% this year, yields 0.7%. The company makes concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients.

Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA) declared a quarterly disbursement of $1.25 a share, an increase of about 15% from $1.0875. The company operates as a real estate investment trust.

The stock, which yields 2.9%, has returned around minus 24% year to date.

Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) plans to boost its annual dividend by 25% to $5 a share from $4. On a quarterly basis, the dividend will rise to $1.25 a share from $1. The stock, which has returned about 11% this year, yields 3.4%.

Write to Lawrence C. Strauss at lawrence.strauss@barrons.com

Source: finance.yahoo.com