With a 47-year track record of consecutively increasing cash dividends, RPM joins only 41 of the thousands of publicly traded U.S. companies—less than half of one percent—that have paid a higher annual cash dividend for this period of time or longer, according to the Mergent Handbook of Dividend Achievers. During this timeframe, the company has returned approximately $2.6 billion in cash dividends to its stockholders.
In an era of extremely low interest rates on savings account and other interest-bearing investment options, RPM’s dividend growth—coupled with an appreciating stock price—yield a total return that makes the company attractive to both institutional and individual investors.
Since initiating its focus on an annually growing dividend in 1973 to drive long-term value for shareholders, RPM has grown from $25 million in annual sales to more than $5 billion, while delivering $2.6 billion in after-tax capital through its cash dividend program.