Q1 2026 Dividend Check-In: Highest Quarterly Hike Percentage Since 2019

Christine Short347 FollowersFollow5ShareSavePlay(5min)CommentsSummaryDividend-increase announcements in Q1 2026 reached their highest level since 2019, reflecting broad boardroom optimism despite macroeconomic uncertainty.A sharp divergence has emerged as mega-cap titans aggressively hike payouts (60%+ increase rate), while small-cap firms hoard cash in anticipation of tighter credit conditions.While most western countries remain resilient, broader dividend cuts have formed in the Asia-Pacific and Oceania regions, led by significant retreats in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. Jonathan Kitchen/DigitalVision via Getty Images As Q1 2026 comes to a close, we follow up on an article we published last week on buybacks by analyzing corporations' other favorite way to return value to shareholders. The percentage of companies increasing dividendsThis article was written byChristine Short347 FollowersFollowWall Street Horizon provides institutional traders and investors with the most accurate and comprehensive forward-looking event data including earnings calendars, dividend dates, option expiration dates, splits, investor conferences and more. Covering 9,500 companies worldwide, we offer more than 40 corporate event types via a range of delivery options. By keeping clients apprised of critical market-moving events and event revisions, our data empowers financial professionals to take advantage of or avoid the ensuing volatility.