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Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) raised its annual dividend 12 out of last 14 consecutive years, provided its shareholders with a total return of nearly 30% over the past year and currently pays a 2.7% yield, which exceeds the average industry yield by more than 40%. In addition to the above-average yield, the other component that drove the high total return…

WGL Holdings (NYSE:WGL) has been paying dividends for the past 165 years and has hiked its annual dividend distribution for the last 40 consecutive years. In addition to the long record of rising dividends, the company currently pays a 2.4% yield that is slightly above the financial sector’s average yield. Over the past year, the company provided a double-digit-percentage share…

Verizon Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VZ) has hiked its total annual dividend amount for the 14th consecutive year and currently offers a 4.5% dividend yield. The company’s current yield is close to the telecommunications segment’s average yield but more than double the average yield of the total Technology sector. The company’s share price originally lost almost 20% through the middle of July…

Southern Michigan Bancorp, Inc. has boosted its annual dividend amount every year since the 2008-2009 financial crisis and currently offers its shareholders a 2.3% dividend yield, which is significantly higher than the average yield of all the banks in the U.S. Midwest regional banking market. In addition to the rising annual dividend, the company has rewarded its investors with asset…

Eight years after the financial crisis, JPMorgan Chase & Company seems to be forging full steam ahead, averaging 35%-plus annual dividend growth rates and rising dividends at nearly 25% annually. After a few years of paying flat dividends leading up to the financial crisis and cutting its annual dividend payout by a combined 98% in 2009 and 2010, JPMorgan Chase’s…