Pfizer Boosts Dividend

(RTTNews) - Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. (PFE) on Monday declared a $0.28 per share first quarter 2015 dividend on its common stock, payable on March 3, 2015, to shareholders of record on February 6, 2015.

Pfizer increased the dividend by about 8%, to $0.28 per share from $0.26 per share.

"The dividend increase demonstrates our commitment to returning capital to shareholders and is supported by our continued confidence in the business," said Ian Read, Pfizer chairman and chief executive officer. "We remain focused on maximizing total shareholder return, of which the dividend is a key component. In addition, we continue to expect to repurchase approximately $5.0 billion of our common stock in 2014, with more than $11 billion of share repurchase authorization available in 2015 and beyond."