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Through several share consolidations and a major acquisition , the Thomson Reuters Corporation (NYSE:TRI) managed to deliver decades of consecutive annual dividend hikes to its shareholders. Since the formation of the current Thomson Reuters business entity, the company has increased its annual dividend payout every year. However, even before the acquisition of the Reuters Group, the Thomson Corporation had a…

After seven years of flat annual dividend payouts prior to 2006, Cummins, Inc. (NYSE:CMI) embarked on a steep trend of annual dividend hikes and maintained a dividend growth average of more the 20% per year over the past 14 years. In addition to more than a decade of steep annual dividend hikes, Cummins also offers its shareholders an above-average dividend…

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) has maintained a current streak of 36 consecutive annual dividend hikes and presently offers its shareholders a 2.1% dividend yield. As a component of the S&P 500 index with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion and having hiked its annual dividend at least 25 consecutive years, Aflac has earned a “Dividend Aristocrat” designation. Currently, only…

The Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) delivered to its shareholders, dividend income with a 4.2% dividend yield and an 18.6% total return on investment over the past 12 months. The company began dividend distributions in 2000 and has consistently boosted its annual dividend payout every year since 2007. Additionally, Duke Energy’s current yield outperforms average industry yields of the company’s peers…

While some equities might appear as good long-term investment opportunities, most income investors are looking for the best dividend paying stocks to buy now for immediate access to dividend income distributions. Even without complex analytical systems, most investors can easily identify multiple equities that have the capacity to generate solid total returns with potential. Simple web-based tools — such as…