April 2026 was a good month for dividend investors. Parker Hannifin (PH) raised its quarterly cash dividend 11% to $2.00 per share, marking its 304th straight quarterly dividend, with payment set for June 5, 2026. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) also kept its streak going, raising its quarterly payout by 3.1% from $1.30 to $1.34 per share for its 64th straight year of dividend growth. Southern Company (SO) did the same, posting its 25th straight annual dividend increase and taking its annualized payout to $3.04 per share. In simple terms, plenty of companies spent April showing investors that dividends still matter.
American Water Works (AWK) was part of that group. On April 29, 2026, the company announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.8950 per share, up 8.2% from the prior quarter, payable June 2, 2026, to shareholders of record as of May 12, 2026. That increase fits with management’s long-term goal of growing the dividend by 7% to 9% a year.
