From Dividends Value:

Ned Davis Research examined the relative performances of stocks between 1972 and 2006 and established a link between rising dividends and superior long-term returns.

The study found S&P 500 stocks that consistently increased their dividends returned 10.4% total return, while those that did not increase their dividends returned only 8.2%. The 2.2% advantage of the dividend raisers would equate to an additional...

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