Pentair Inc. (PNR)

Q4 2009 Earnings Call

February 2, 2010 9:00 pm ET

Pentair Inc. (PNR)

Q4 2009 Earnings Call

February 2, 2010 9:00 pm ET

Epoch Holding (NASDAQ: EPHC) shares closed at $10.28, down 5.95%. EPHC had raised its dividend by 66.7% and its current dividend yield stands at 1.80%.Read more on this stock.

CVS Caremark Cp (NYSE: CVS) shares fell 1.80% to $33.24. CVS had raised its dividend by 14.8%, bringing its yield to 1%.Read more on this stock.

Pentair Inc (NYSE: PNR) shares lost 0.80% to close at $32.36. PNR had raised its dividend by 5.6%, taking its yield up to 2.30%.Read more on this stock.

Although Alliant Energy Cp (NYSE: LNT) shares lost 0.46% yesterday, it moved up 0.96% to $33.10 in after hours trading. LNT had hiked its dividend by 5.3%, bringing its yield up to 4.80%.Read more on this stock.

Shaw Communications Inc (NYSE: SJR) shares lost 0.92% to close at $19.37. SJR had hiked its dividend by 4.7% to $0.88 per annum. Read more on this stock.

Although Linear Technology (NASDAQ: LLTC) lost 0.47% yesterday, it gained 1.45% in after hours to $28.99. LLTC had raised its dividend by 4.5%, taking its yield to 3.20%.Read more on this stock.

Enterprise GP Holdings (NYSE: EPE), Enterprise Product Partners LP (NYSE: EPD), Genesis Energy LP (NYSE: GEL) and Duncan Energy Partners (NYSE: DEP) had also announced dividend hikes during the week. Read more on this stock.

Before 2009 ended, expectations were in place for a much better year for dividend investors in 2010 than what the previous year brought us. While the new year is still quite young, we are already seeing some good dividend news from a select group of companies. One company that is showing investors the money in the new year is Minnesota-based Pentair (PNR), a maker of water pumps, pressure tanks, control valves, pool accessories and other unglamorous fare.

What is somewhat glamorous is Pentair's recent 5.6% dividend hike, which boosts the quaterly payout by a penny to 19 cents share. The new dividend, which represents the 34^th consecutive year in which the company has increased its payout, will be paid during the current quarter. In December, the company said it expects to earn $1.70 a share in 2010 on sales of $2.8 billion.

Virtually everything in this world can be placed into a few basic categories. This is especially true for Dividend Stocks when looking at their historic performance and expectations for the future. Consider these three broad categories: The Good: As you might guess, these are the dividend stocks that are doing exactly what they should do – consistently raising their dividends each year in spite of troubled economic times. The Bad: Companies that held their dividends flat. The Ugly: Companies that cut their dividends.