Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 9/14/22, NorthWestern Corp. (Symbol: NWE), Atrion Corp. (Symbol: ATRI), and Merck & Co Inc (Symbol: MRK) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. NorthWestern Corp. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.63 on 9/30/22, Atrion Corp. will pay its quarterly dividend of $2.15 on 9/30/22, and Merck & Co Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.69 on 10/7/22. As a percentage of NWE's recent stock price of $55.37, this dividend works out to approximately 1.14%, so look for shares of NorthWestern Corp. to trade 1.14% lower — all else being equal — when NWE shares open for trading on 9/14/22. Similarly, investors should look for ATRI to open 0.35% lower in price and for MRK to open 0.78% lower, all else being equal.
When an S&P 1500 component reaches 20 years of dividend increases, it becomes a contender to join the elite "Dividend Aristocrats" index. NorthWestern Corp. (Symbol: NWE) is a "future dividend aristocrats contender," with 14+ years of increases.
Below are dividend history charts for NWE, ATRI, and MRK, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared.
NorthWestern Corp. (Symbol: NWE):
Atrion Corp. (Symbol: ATRI):
Merck & Co Inc (Symbol: MRK):
In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 4.55% for NorthWestern Corp., 1.41% for Atrion Corp., and 3.14% for Merck & Co Inc.
Free Report: Top 7%+ Dividends (paid monthly)
In Monday trading, NorthWestern Corp. shares are currently up about 0.3%, Atrion Corp. shares are up about 0.1%, and Merck & Co Inc shares are up about 0.8% on the day.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
