Nike Raising Its Dividend (NKE)

Nike Inc. NKE announced that it would be raising its dividend by 15% to 31 cents per share, up from 27 cents per share. “We are pleased to increase our dividend for the ninth year in a row,” said Mark Parker, President and CEO of NIKE, Inc. “Over the last five years we have returned more than $2 billion to shareholders through dividend payments. Today's increase illustrates the strength of our balance sheet and the acceleration of our business. We are confident our strategies will continue to drive long-term profitable growth and strong cash flows that will fuel investments for the future and enable us to return cash to shareholders.” Shares of Nike closed at $82.47 today, a gain of $1.08‎ or 1.33%‎.