Dividend increase: Stanley

Article Excerpt

STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $140 (New York symbol SWK; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 153.0 million; Market cap: $21.4 billion; Dividend yield: 1.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.stanleyblackanddecker.com) is one of the world’s largest makers of hand and power tools for consumers. In addition to Stanley and Black & Decker, its top-selling brands include DeWalt, Craftsman and Irwin. Stanley will raise its quarterly dividend by 4.8%. Starting with the September 2018 payment, investors will receive $0.66 a share instead of $0.63. The new annual rate of $2.64 yields 1.9%. The company has paid dividends continuously for 142 years and has raised the annual rate each year for the past 51 years. Earnings will probably increase 4.5%, from $8.04 a share in 2017 to $8.40 in 2018. Stanley trades at a moderate 16.7 times that forecast. Stanley Black & Decker is a buy. buy…