These days, dividends are rising rapidly, but not as fast as stock prices.
The dividend rose to 15 cents a share from 13 cents.
And as the economy grows, dividends will rise.
After that the dividend rises to 12 percent.
Interest and dividends also rose by nearly as much, to $409.5 million, from $240.3 million in the last three months of 1986.
Total dividends rise from 5 p to 6.3p, with the final of 4.3p payable on July 1.
Last year, when earnings did not increase at all, dividends rose 5 percent.
The dividends and interest tax, which peaked at 14 percent under the old law, would rise to a maximum rate of 10 percent.
But in many cases, corporations loaded up on debt while dividends were rising.
All loans had been repaid by 1836, and the dividend rose to 1.25 per cent in 1840.