The past week marked an increase in positive dividend news from major companies. The most bullish news came from software giant Oracle, which declared its first ever quarterly dividend of $0.05/share. Most of the large cap tech companies from the dot-com boom eras are now mature plays on the sector. They could now afford to share an increased portion of their revenue streams with shareholders.

Cisco Systems is another major tech company, which announced its intent to pay a dividend eventually back in November 2008. The evolution of the large cap former tech bellwether darlings of Wall Street from the 1990’s is astonishing. As stocks like Intel (INTC), Microsoft (MSFT) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) are no longer growing as rapidly as they used to and become mature companies, they start distributing larger portions of their net incomes to shareholders in terms of dividends. The more important question however is whether these companies will continue paying out rising dividends to shareholders after the dividend tax is repealed.

Realty Income and Air Products and Chemicals were two other companies, which rewarded their shareholders with dividends.

The board of Air Products (APD) increased the quarterly dividend on the company's common stock to 45 cents per share from 44 cents. This marked the 27th consecutive annual dividend increase for the Allentown, Pennsylvania maker of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services worldwide. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. is the sixteenth dividend aristocrat to raise its dividends in 2009. Check out my analysis of Air Products and Chemicals (APD).

Realty Income (O), which engages in the acquisition and ownership of commercial retail real estate properties in the United States., raised its dividends to $0.1420625 per share from $0.14175 per share. This is the 46th consecutive quarterly increase for this dividend achiever and the 53rd dividend increase since Realty Income went public in 1994. The new monthly dividend amount represents an annualized dividend amount of $1.70475 per share. Realty Income currently yields and is one my Best High Yield Dividend Stocks for 2009. Check out my analysis of Realty Income (O).