Meet Your New Dividend Aristocrats (MKC, HRL, ECL)

Standard & Poor's made a number of changes to their S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index after the close of trading on Friday, December 17, 2010.

The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index is designed to measure the performance of S&P 500 constituents that have followed a managed-dividends policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 25 years.

Additions to the Dividend Aristocrats Index are:

• McCormick & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MKC) boasts a $1.12 annual dividend, and 2.4% yield. McCormick last raised its dividend in November, marking the 25th consecutive year that the Company has increased its quarterly dividend. The company has paid dividends every year since 1925.
  
  
• Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) boasts a $1.02 annual dividend, and 2% yield. In November, Hormel raised their dividend from $0.84. Since becoming a public company in 1928, Hormel has paid a regular quarterly dividend without interruption.
  
  
• Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL) boasts a $0.70 annual dividend, and 1.4% yield. In December, Ecolab raised their dividend 13%. This was the 19th consecutive annual dividend rate increase. Ecolab has paid cash dividends on its common stock for 74 consecutive years.

Deletions to the Dividend Aristocrats Index were:
Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY), SUPERVALU Inc. (NYSE: SVU) and Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE: TEG).

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