Dividend Track Records

Cincinnati Financial (CINF) will raise its dividend by 4.2%.

Air Products & Chemicals ( APD) will raise its dividend by 10.5%.

Black Hills Corp. (BKH) will raise its dividend by 6 percent.

Dividend Aristocrat S&P Global (formerly McGraw Hill Financial) (SPGI) will raise its dividend by 13.7%.

S&P Dow Jones Indices has selected two new Dividend Aristocrats for 2017. HCP will be replaced by General Dynamics and Federal Realty Trust.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) will raise its dividend by 5.4%.

Consolidated Edison (ED), one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, will raise its dividend by 3.0%.

Linear Technology (LLTC) will hike its dividend by 3.1%.

The average dividend aristocrat ended the year 2016 with a gain of 8.4 percent. Steel manufacturer Nucor (NUE) was the best performing stock, ending the year almost 50 percent higher.