👑 Dividend Heroes update: +34.9% YTD
YTD return jumps to 34.9% with 2 big dividend hikes and a special dividend
After a very strong week the Total Return for the 25 Dividend Heroes jumped to 34.9% in 2024. The average gain was a whopping 7.8% in just one trading week.
The average dividend hike for all 20 of 25 Dividend Heroes that announced a dividend hike YTD is 14.9%. We expect four more dividend hikes in the next couple of weeks with only Oracle not doing annual dividend increases.
It was a big week anyway for The Dividend Heroes with 2 big dividend hikes and one special dividend announcement. KLA Corporation (KLAC) will hike its dividend by 17.2%, marking 15 consecutive years of increases and Snap-on announced a 15.1% hike, also marking 15 straight years of (double digit) dividend hikes.
Last but not least p&c insurer American Financial Group (AFG) announced a $4.00 per share special dividend, coming after a $2.50 special dividend in Q1 and a 12.7% dividend hike earlier in 2024.
The biggest gain came from Comfort Systems USA (FIX), a stock that we highlighted in our previous post from October 18. Comfort Systems USA gained 17.8% and is now up 125.3% YTD as the best performing Dividend Hero this year.
Another big gainer was Discover Financial Services (DFS) with a 15.8% gain. DFS is up 58.5% YTD.
Seven Heroes gained more than 10%, including two steel related stocks (we will reveal this later to subscribers to our free newsletter), two financial stocks (including Goldman Sachs, the #18 dividend hero, up 13.5%) and Oracle (+11.3%).
One stock was a big loser on the week with Nexstar Media Group (NXST) giving up strong gains last Friday when the stock crashed by double digits after the latest earnings report.
We are planning a paid Dividend Heroes website with full access to all Heroes, including those from Europe and Globally. If you are interested in this, please let us know in the comments or do a pledge for a future substack subscription. We thank you for your support!
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Investors should conduct their own research or consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.