AT&T raises dividend for 28th year in a row

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)
AT&T Inc. on Friday hiked its annual dividend for the 28th consecutive year, raising its quarterly payout to 44 cents a share from 43 cents.
On an annual basis, AT&;T will now pay out $1.76 a share, up from $1.72.
"Throughout the economic downturn, we've been very disciplined financially, which has given us strong cash flows and an ability to pay down debt while investing about $20 billion this year to support more customer usage," said Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson.
The dividend is payable on Feb. 1, 2012 to shareholders of record on Jan. 10, 2012. AT&T shares moved fractionally lower to $28.72