Several companies declared their future dividend plans, as the US stock futures trade lower on Wednesday. Some notable dividend payers are discussed here.
WellPoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP) on Wednesday reported its fourth quarter and FY 2011 financial results before the opening bell. The company also declared its regular cash dividend for the first quarter FY 2012 along with the results. The company said that its board of directors has increased the company's dividend by 15 percent to $0.2875 per share. The dividend is payable on March 23, 2012, to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 9, 2012. WLP is down 7.78 percent to $64 a share in the pre-market trading today.
RPC Inc. (NYSE: RES) on Wednesday announced a stock split and also raised its quarterly dividend. The company said in its filing that its board of directors approved a three-for-two stock split of the company's outstanding shares. The company also said that its board has declared regular cash dividend of $0.12 per share, up 20 percent from $0.10 per share, March 9, 2012 to common stockholders of record at the close of business on February 10, 2012. The dividend will be paid on pre-split shares. RES is trading higher by 0.63 percent to $17.64 a share in the pre-market trading on Wednesday.
Meridian Bioscience Inc. (Nasdaq: VIVO) also reported its quarterly dividend along with reported its first quarter FY 2012 financial results earlier today. The company said that its board has declared the regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.19 per share for the first quarter. The dividend will be paid to shareholders on February 17, 2012, to shareholders of record on February 3, 2012. VIVO last closed at $19.81 a share on Tuesday.
Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE: AIT), an industrial distributor of parts like MRO and OEM, said that its board of directors has raised the company's quarterly cash dividend by $0.02, or 11 percent, declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.21 per common share, payable on February 29, 2012, to shareholders of record on February 15, 2012. AIT closed at $39.77 a share, yesterday.