A dividend hike is the ultimate sign of dividend safety. It’s also the surest, safest way to “get rich soon-ish” in stocks. Find me stocks that are raising their dividends quickly and regularly, and I’ll show you some stocks that are doubling every few years . What drives the dividend? Well, the likelihood that a company is going to raise its dividend (or cut it) is directly related to its payout ratio , or the percentage of its profits that it is dishing out to shareholders as dividends. As a rule of thumb, a payout ratio below 50% is a sign of dividend safety.… Read more