One Dividend King, One Payout Hike, and a 7% Yield Still Sitting There

One of the longest dividend growth streaks in the entire market just added another year, and the stock went ex-div this morning.

A managed care name that's taken heat all year bumped its payout right before its Q2 report. And a defensive tobacco payer keeps throwing off cash while the market chases AI.

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Money-Center Banks

JPMorgan Just Put Another 10% Dividend Hike on the Table

JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) plans to increase its quarterly common stock dividend to $1.65 per share, up from $1.50. That is a 10% increase, and it comes alongside a new $50 billion common stock repurchase program effective July 1.

The market already treats JPMorgan like the best-in-class bank, so this is not a hidden turnaround story. It is a quality-compounding story.

The dividend hike tells you management still sees enough capital flexibility to reward shareholders while keeping the balance sheet fortress-level strong.

Why the Raise Now Matters

JPMorgan is not raising the payout because it needs to get attention. It is rising because the capital market allows it.

That matters in a banking cycle where investors still worry about credit, commercial real estate, and loan growth. JPMorgan’s stress-test performance gives management room to keep returning capital without forcing the company into a defensive posture.

For income investors, JPM is not the highest-yielding bank on the board. But it is one of the cleanest combinations of dividend growth, scale, balance-sheet strength, and buyback firepower.

JPMorgan’s planned dividend rises to $1.65 per share quarterly, or $6.60 annualized.

Investment Banks

Morgan Stanley Just Delivered a 15% Dividend Raise

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) announced plans to increase its quarterly common stock dividend to $1.15 per share, up from $1.00. That is a 15% increase, beginning with the common stock dividend expected to be declared in the third quarter.

The dividend raise came with a reauthorization of a $20 billion multi-year common equity share repurchase program, which gives the stock a second capital-return lever.

That matters because Morgan Stanley’s earnings mix is no longer just tied to dealmaking and trading. Wealth management now gives the company a steadier fee base, which supports a more durable dividend profile.

What You Should Actually Do Here

Morgan Stanley is the cleaner income-growth play if you want financial exposure with less pure lending risk.

The stock still moves with capital markets sentiment, and investment banking cycles matter. But the wealth management business gives MS a stronger recurring-revenue base than the old Wall Street model.

If deal activity improves into the second half, the dividend hike could look less like a one-off capital return and more like the start of a better earnings setup.

If you already own it, the raise is a strong hold signal. If you are starting fresh, MS belongs on the watchlist for pullbacks rather than chasing immediately after the capital-return announcement.

Morgan Stanley’s planned dividend rises to $1.15 per share quarterly, or $4.60 annualized.

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Wall Street Leaders

Goldman Sachs Is Taking Its Dividend to $5 a Share

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) plans to raise its common dividend to $5.00 per share, up from $4.50. That is an 11% increase from the current level and a much stronger payout than Goldman offered a year ago.

This is still the most capital-markets-sensitive name of the three. When investment banking, trading, and asset management are healthy, Goldman has serious earnings torque. When activity slows, the stock can feel every bit of that cyclicality.

The Capital-Return Engine is Getting Louder

The dividend raise tells you Goldman is more comfortable with its capital position after the stress-test process. It also signals that management wants shareholders to see the company as more than a trading-cycle stock.

That does not mean GS suddenly becomes a defensive income name. It is not that. But for investors who want dividend growth tied to a capital markets recovery, Goldman is one of the more direct ways to play it.

The cleaner setup is this: if deal activity keeps thawing and asset prices remain supportive, Goldman’s higher payout could be backed by improving earnings momentum. If markets turn risk-off, this one will be more volatile than JPMorgan or Morgan Stanley.

Goldman Sachs’ planned dividend rises to $5.00 per share quarterly, or $20.00 annualized.

Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV) raised its quarterly dividend to $1.72 per share. New yield sits at roughly 1.75%.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share, up from $0.52. New yield stands at 2.3%.

Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) announced a quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share. New yield is 2.0%.

Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) bumped its dividend to $0.24 per share, up from $0.22. New yield is 2.0%.

No notable dividend cuts turned up in this week's SEC 8-K filings. If you're screening for red flags, that's a clean bill for now.

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Everything Else

• 🚀 Analysts just screened every sector and earnings trend to find the 10 stocks most likely to dominate the second half of 2026 and a free report names all of them.

• 📱 South Korea’s trade watchdog says Google abused its Android app store position, adding another global front to the platform-power battle.

• ₿ Citi cut its bitcoin and ether forecasts as ETF flows turned negative, putting fresh pressure on the crypto trade.

• 🏦 MGX is raising a $49 billion AI fund backed by UAE capital, adding another giant pool of money to the AI infrastructure race.

• 💴 Japan’s yen slid to a 40-year low as intervention risk, Fed policy, and the BOJ keep fueling the carry trade.