Top Dividend Trends for 2012, DJIA stocks- GE, DIS, WMT, VZ, UTX, TRV, PG, PFE, MSFT, MRK, MMM, MCD, KFT, JPM, JNJ, INTC, IBM, HPQ, HD, GE 

General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) a diversified technology and financial services corporation has raised its payout 3 times since mid-2010.  GE’s yield today is 3.7% and its payout is close to 40% of expected income in 2012.  The $16.10 price compares to a consensus price target of $20.80.

Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD) sells an assortment of building materials, home improvement and lawn and garden products has been raising its dividend all the time now.  The current payout of $0.25  and The payout here is close to 40% of income and the stock at $38.00 is very close to the consensus price target of $39.80.

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ) a provider of products, technologies, software, solutions and services to individual consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses has raised its payout from $0.08 to $0.12 as the first real dividend hike in years.

International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) an information technology (IT) company has just paid out its third quarter of $0.75 in dividends.  As the dividend yield is only 1.6% since the $187 price compares to a 52-week high of $190.53 and since its consensus price target is $195.30.  IBM’s current $3.00 annualized payout is barely 20% of the 2012 expected earnings and the company is looking to grow earnings to $20.00 per share by 2015.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) a semiconductor chip maker company  pays out about one-third of its expected income.  Intel’s most recent price of $25.00 is after Warren Buffett disclosed a large stake and the consensus price target is close to $26.80 on the stock.

Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) focused on providing consumer packaged goods  payout in October of $0.525 was the third consecutive payout of the same rate, so we will be expecting a payout hike announcement early next year for a payout boost to $0.55 to $0.57 for an April payout hike.

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) engaged in providing a range of commercial, and personal property and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, Government units, associations and individuals  September payout of $0.41 was the second payout at that rate.  The current yield is about 2.8%.  The $57.50 price compares to a consensus target of $61.00, but the payout ratio is very subjective since earnings are lower in 2011 and supposedly growing in 2012.

United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX) a provider of technology products and services to the building systems and aerospace industries worldwide  three straight payouts of $0.48 per quarter so we will not be looking for a dividend hike until the summer of 2012. The current yield is 2.4% and the $78.85 price today compares to a consensus price target of $89.67.  The current payout ratio is about one-third of expected 2012 income.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) a provider of communications services already boosted its payout by more than 2% to $0.50 per quarter for its October payment. Verizon Communications is paying out about 80% of its expected 2012 income and its $37.10 price compares to a consensus price target of $38.75.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) engaged in developing, licensing and supporting a range of software products and services recently raised its dividend to $0.20 from $0.16, this dividend represented a large boost of 25%. With shares trading around $26.50, the new $0.80 per year payout comes out to right over 3% with about a 30% income payout ratio and the consensus price target is $31.70.

Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE: PFE) a research-based, global biopharmaceutical company had already been raising its dividend and the $0.20 per quarter payout in early November was the 4th quarter in a row.  The pre-cut dividend in 2009 was $0.32, so another marginal dividend hike of 10% would still be well under its peak dividend of $0.32 per quarter.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) operates retail stores is just about to have its fourth payout of $0.365 in December, last hike was by 15%  current yield of about 2.5% was closer to 3% before the most recent pre-earnings rise.  Now shares have pulled back to $57.40 and the pre-earnings target was within a few cents of $60.00.

Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) a diversified worldwide entertainment company is unusual in that it pays its dividend out annually rather than quarterly, particularly with what is a paltry 1.1% yield today.  The Mouse House is also only paying out close to 15% of its expected 2012 earnings.

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) operates McDonald’s restaurants in the global restaurant industry  dividend in September by 15% to $0.70 per quarter for an implied dividend yield of right around 3.0%.  The $94.00 price compares to a consensus target of nearly $100.40 and its income payout is about 50% of expected income in 2012.

3M Company (NYSE: MMM) a diversified technology company with a presence in industrial and transportation; health care; display and graphics; consumer and office; safety, security and protection services, and electro and communications is soon to be at its fourth consecutive payout of $0.55 per quarter.  At $81.30, the consensus price target is $90.41 and the $2.20 annualized payout of today.

Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE: MRK) a global health care company  11% payout hike to $0.42 from $0.38 per quarter was the first hike since September of 2004. The new dividend yield is 4.7% and the $35.70 price compares to a consensus price target of $39.85.Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ)engaged in the research and development, manufacture and sale of a range of products in the health care field  is almost three-quarters into its $0.57 per quarter in payouts.  The current payout ratio is under 44% of expected 2012 earnings with shares around $64.60, the consensus price target is currently about $72.85 and the current dividend yield is about 3.5%.

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) a financial holding company is already 3 straight quarters into its $0.25 payout per quarter after it had to slash its payout to $0.05 after previously having been at $0.38 before the recession peak, and the current payout ratio is still well under 25% of expected income.

Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) manufactures and markets packaged food products, including biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, convenient meals and various packaged grocery products is one which has had the same $0.29 per quarter payout since mid-2008. The $1.16 annualized payout on a static basis represents about 45% of expected 2012 earnings.

About the author: Sheila Mouhibian

Tech-savvy journalist-turned-PR practitioner with a keen understanding of what constitutes news and an extremely low threshold of tolerance for obfuscatory jargon, mindless superlatives, and press releases written without the slightest respect for the reader’s intelligence.