Why Merck, Black Hills, And Virtus Investment Partners Are Winners For Passive Income

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Companies with a long history of paying dividends and consistently hiking them remain appealing to income-focused investors. Merck, Black Hills, and Virtus Investment Partners have rewarded shareholders for years and recently announced dividend increases. These companies currently offer dividend yields of around 4-6%.

Merck

Merck (NYSE:MRK) is a healthcare company that manufactures pharmaceutical products to treat various conditions in many therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic disease, cancer and infections.

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Merck has raised its dividends every year for the last 14 years. According to its most recent dividend hike announcement on Nov. 19, the company increased the quarterly payout from $0.77 to $0.81 per share, equal to an annual figure of $3.24 per share. The current dividend yield on the stock is 4.09%.

Merck’s annual revenue as of Dec. 31 stood at $64.17 billion. In its Q4 2024 earnings report on Feb. 4, it posted revenues of $15.62 billion and EPS of $1.72. Both figures beat the Street estimates.

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Black Hills

Black Hills Corp. (NYSE:BKH) operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in the U.S.

Black Hills has raised its dividends every year for the last 55 years. In its most recent dividend hike announcement on Jan. 24, it increased the quarterly payout from $0.65 to $0.676 per share, which is equal to an annual figure of $2.70 per share. Currently, the dividend yield on the stock is 4.63%.

Black Hills’ annual revenue as of Dec. 31 stood at $2.13 billion. As per the company’s Q4 2024 earnings release on Feb. 5, it posted revenues of $597.10 million, missing the consensus of $944 million, while EPS of $1.37 came in above the consensus estimate of $1.34.

How to put $100 in your retirement fund each month with Black Hills stock? Check out this article by Benzinga to learn more.

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Virtus Investment Partners

Virtus Investment Partners (NYSE:VRTS) is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to individual and institutional clients.