Several stocks ranging from mega-cap to small-cap just announced notable increases to their dividends. One of these names is among the three largest stocks in the software industry.
Another is a top-ten player in healthcare equipment and supplies. Meanwhile, one of these stocks has a market cap under $2 billion.
Additionally, one very small pharmaceutical company announced its fourth consecutive special dividend. Below are the details of these four companies.
1. SAP: Mega Cap Stock With an +8% Dividend Growth Rate
With a market capitalization of just under $300 billion as of the Apr. 11 close, SAP SE ADR (NYSE:SAP) ranks in the top 30 largest public companies in the world. As of that date, it also barely edges out LVMH Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton, Société Européenne (OTCMKTS: LVMUY (OTC:LVMUY)), as the largest stock in the European trading region.
SAP has built a huge name for itself as a leader in the enterprise resource planning industry. The company is increasing its dividend by just under 7%, subject to the approval of shareholders at the company’s Annual General Meeting on May 13. The next 2.35 euro per share dividend would be payable on May 16 to shareholders of record on May 13. If approved, this would be the 29th out of the last 35 years that SAP has increased its annual dividend.
Notably, the company only makes one dividend payment per year; this will be the only opportunity to receive income from this stock in 2025. Based on the company’s Apr. 11 closing price, the stock has an indicated dividend yield of just over 1% when considering this higher dividend. Since 2015, SAP has raised its regular dividend at a solid compound annual rate of 8.2%.
2. Greenbrier Companies: Small Cap Name With a Big Dividend Yield
Greenbrier Companies Inc (NYSE:GBX) is a small-cap company that is boosting its next dividend by just under 7%.
The company is primarily involved in the railcar industry, manufacturing railcars and providing railcar maintenance and management services.
This firm is minuscule in size compared to a company like SAP, with a market capitalization of around $1.3 billion as of the Apr. 11 close.
The next $0.32 per share dividend is payable on May 13 to shareholders of record as of April 22. This marks the company’s 44th consecutive year of dividend increases. As of the Apr. 11 close,
Greenbrier Companies’ stock has an indicated dividend yield of 3.1%, which is considerably higher than the 1.3% yield of the S&P 500 Index.
3. Alcon: Adds Eye Candy for Shareholders With a 17% Dividend Bump
Alcon AG (NYSE:ALC) is the ninth-largest public company in the healthcare equipment and supplies industry.
Alcon is the largest eye care device company in the world. Its products include everything from eye drops to contact lenses to eye-specific surgical equipment.
Alcon is a Swiss company and has proposed to increase its dividend to 0.28 Swiss Francs per share. If approved by shareholders, this would be nearly a 17% increase from the prior year.
The new dividend would be payable on May 15 to shareholders of record on May 14.
Alcon also only makes one dividend payment per year. As traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange, the stock has an indicated dividend yield of just under 0.4% as of the Apr. 11 close.
SIGA Technologies: 10% Dividend Yield as It Announces Special Dividend
SIGA Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:SIGA) is a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company, meaning that regulators have approved its drug for sale. Regulators in the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Japan have approved its drug TPOXX. TPOXX was the first antiviral treatment approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to protect against smallpox. The company is also working to get the drug approved in the United States to treat mpox.
The company doesn’t have a regular dividend, but it did just announce that it will pay a special dividend. The company’s $0.60 per share special dividend will be payable on May 15 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Apr. 29. This is the fourth year in a row that the company has announced a special dividend.
Despite having a small market capitalization of $425 million, SIGA has a big-time dividend yield. Based on this $0.60 payment, the stock has a whopping 10% dividend yield as of the Apr. 11 close.