YCHARTS DIVIDEND DAILY: Wal-Mart Payout Well Covered, Ever-Rising; Slower Sales Growth a Worry

by YCharts Staff February 07, 2012

Wal-Mart Stores Dividend Chart by YCharts

Talk about a greeter: Wal-Mart (WMT) has hiked its dividend every year since an initial 5-cent payout in 1974, and this March, if history is any guide, one could expect an increase from the current quarterly rate of 36.5 cents a share. The only cloud on the horizon: sales growth, especially in the U.S., isn’t what it used to be. How long can Wal-Mart squeeze costs to fatten the bottom line?