Pharmaceutical Products Lifts Dividend 20%

Despite tough times of late -- or perhaps because of them -- Pharmaceutical Product Development(PPDI Quote) hiked its annual dividend by 20%, the company announced Tuesday.

Last week, PPD said it would swap out its chief executive in a move that seemed to confuse and worry investors more than anything else.

"There are probably more significant operational issues at PPD than we previously believed," wrote one stock analyst in response. (The company moved its previous CEO to a new role -- executive chairman -- and promoted a board member, a retired brigadier general named David Grange, to CEO.) ...