Dividend Increases Falling

According to the S&P's Dividend Record, only 598 of the approximately 7,000 companies tracked by S&P increased their dividends during the first quarter. This number was 19.2% less than in the first quarter of 2007. Another 83 companies actually decreased their dividends. Only 19 had done so during the same period in 2007. The decrease is the highest since 1991. Larger companies with market caps greater than $10 billion have raised their dividends 27.2% of the time, while those with a smaller cap only raised their dividends only 18.7% of the time.