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Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMY) declared an increase of 2.6% percent in the company's quarterly dividend, beginning in the first quarter of 2017. The dividend increase will result in a quarterly dividend of thirty nine cents per share on the $.10 par value Common Stock of the corporation. The next quarterly dividend will be payable on February 1, 2017, to stockholders of record at the close of business on January 6, 2017.

Abbott (ABT) increased the company's quarterly common dividend to 26.5 cents per share from 26 cents per share. The cash dividend is payable Feb. 15, 2017, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Jan. 13, 2017.

Ecolab declared a 6 percent increase in the company's quarterly cash dividend to $0.37 per common share, to be paid Jan. 17, 2017, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 20, 2016.

Edison International (EIX) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.5425 per share, payable on January 31, 2017, to shareholders of record on December 30, 2016. This action increases the annual dividend by $0.25 per share for the third year in a row. The 2017 annual dividend rate will be $2.17 per share, an increase of 13 percent from the current annual dividend rate of $1.92 per share.

Ventas (VTR) increased the Company's fourth quarter 2016 dividend by 6 percent to $0.775 per share. The dividend is payable in cash on December 30, 2016 to stockholders of record on December 20, 2016.

Conagra Brands approved its first dividend since the completion of the spin-off of its Lamb Weston business on November 9, 2016. A dividend payment of $0.20 per share of CAG common stock will be paid on March 1, 2017, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on January 30, 2017.

For MarketNewsVideo.com, I'm Sayoko Murase.