Spices, medical devices and Spam top payout performers

The action in the equity markets has been fast and furious during the past week, with stocks plunging in the days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. However, better-than-anticipated retail sales on Black Friday, as well as positive developments on the European bailout front, sent stocks soaring in Monday trading.

The souped-up action in stocks was countered by the light news on the dividend front, as only a handful of companies announced they were increasing dividends last week. Still, we did see a couple of high-profile names giving thanks to shareholders, so let�s take a look at the four companies that made it onto our Companies Increasing Dividends list this week:

Medical device maker Becton, Dickinson and Co. (NYSE:BDX) took the temperature of shareholders and decided they needed an increased dose of dividends. The company declared a quarterly dividend of 45 cents per share — an increase of four cents per share, or about 10% from the previous quarter. The new payout will be made on Dec. 30 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 12. The new dividend yield, based on the Nov. 22 closing price of $72.12 (the day the dividend was announced), is 2.5%. The dividend marks the 40th consecutive year in which Becton, Dickinson and Co. has increased its payout to shareholders.

Consumer-branded food and meat products maker Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL), which counts Spam among its famous brands, canned up a tasty dividend to shareholders by raising its payout to 15 cents per share from 12.75 cents. The new dividend will be opened up on Feb. 15 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 23. The new dividend yield, based on the Nov. 22 closing price of $28.82, is 2.08%. The dividend increase was the 334th consecutive quarterly dividend paid by Hormel Foods. The increased payout came along with fiscal fourth-quarter profit that fell 3% as sales at its grocery products segment declined.

Food flavoring and spice maker McCormick & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MKC) spiced up its quarterly dividend by three cents per share to 31 cents. The enhanced payout will be sprinkled on shareholders� plates on Jan. 13, provided investors take a seat at the ownership table by Dec. 30. The new dividend yield, based on the Nov. 22 closing price of $47.31, is 2.62%. McCormick has increased its dividend 26 times since 1925. In September, the company reported third-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street estimates.

Utility firm York Water (NASDAQ:YORW), the oldest investor-owned utility in the nation, continues to open the dividend spigot to shareholders. York increased its quarterly payout by 2% to 13.36 cents per share from 13.1 cents. The new dividend is payable Jan. 17 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 31. The new dividend yield, based on the Nov. 22 closing price of $16.80, is 3.15%. The pumped-up payout is the 564th consecutive dividend paid by York Water, and it also marks the 15th consecutive year the company has increased its dividend.

As of this writing, Jim Woods did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned stocks. For more payout winners, see previous weeks’ lists of Companies Increasing Dividends.