Dividend Stocks for the Week

(Updated with stock prices.)

By Fred Fuld

There are basically two ways for a stock owner to make money: through the capital appreciation of the share price and through the dividend payout.

For investors who are after the dividend portion of the return, dividend-increasing stocks have a lot of appeal. But according to a report by Standard & Poor's, there has been a recession lately in stocks increasing their dividends. Of the approximately 7,000 publicly owned dividend-paying companies, only 233, a record low, increased their payouts during the second quarter of 2009, a 48.8% plummet from the 455 increasers in the same quarter in 2008.

In addition, according to S&P Senior Index Analyst Howard Silverblatt, dividend increases are at a record high, an, he says, it's "not a good time for dividend investors."

With this in mind, Stockpickr scoured the recent dividend declarations to find what dividend-raisers there are, a list that includes General Mills(GIS Quote) and Duke Energy(DUK Quote).

To read more, visit Stockpickr.com.