Dividend increase: Texas Instruments

Article Excerpt

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC. $106 (Nasdaq symbol TXN; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 972.2 million; Market cap: $103.1 billion; Divd. yield: 2.9%; Divd. Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.ti.com) is a leading maker of analog chips. They convert inputs, such as touch, and sound, into electronic signals that computers can understand. With the November 2018 payment, the company will raise its quarterly dividend by 24.2%, to $0.77 a share from $0.62. The new annual rate of $3.08 yields 2.9%. Texas Instruments also added $12.0 billion to its share repurchase authorization. It can now buy back up to $19.4 billion of its shares. In the second quarter of 2018, revenue increased 8.8%, to $4.0 billion from $3.7 billion a year earlier. That’s due to strong demand from industrial and automotive clients. Earnings per share jumped 35.9%, to $1.40 from $1.03. Texas Instruments is a buy. buy…