This is good news.
After the worst year in history for dividends, companies are back to showing shareholders the money. The number of companies raising their dividends this quarter stands at the highest rate in two years, according to Standard & Poor's. In the last 30 days alone, nearly 40 companies in the S&P 500, ranging from Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) to General Dynamics (GD), have hiked their annual payouts.