Dividend Changes to Know Now: Prudential Financial, Maiden Holdings, Sunoco Logistics Partners, Atmos Energy, Mesa Laboratories

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU): Prudential raises annual dividend 10% to $1.60 per share. Prudential Financial announced the declaration of an annual dividend for 2012 of $1.60 per share of Common Stock, payable on December 14 to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 20. The dividend represents an increase of 10% from the 2011 Common Stock dividend and is the highest ever paid by the company. Prudential also announced that it will move to a quarterly Common Stock dividend schedule beginning in the first quarter of 2013.

Maiden Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MHLD): Maiden Holdings raises quarterly cash dividend 12.5% to 9c. Maiden Holdings announced that its boarad approved a quarterly cash dividend of 9c per share of common stock, an increase of 12.5% from the previous rate. The dividend will be payable on January 15, 2013 to shareholders of record as of January 2, 2013.

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Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. (NYSE:SXL): Sunoco Logistics increases dividend 10% to 51.75c per share. Sunoco Partners, the general partner of the partnership, declared a cash distribution for Q3 of 51.75c per common unit to be paid on November 14 to unit holders of record on November 8. This represents a 10% increase over the Q2 distribution of 47c per common unit.

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO): Atmos Energy increases quarterly dividend to 35c a share. Atmos Energy said that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend increase on the company’s common stock to 35 cents a share. The indicated annual dividend is $1.40. This is the 25th consecutive year that the company has increased its dividend. The dividend will be paid on December 10, 2012, to shareholders of record on November 26, 2012. This is the company’s 116th consecutive quarterly dividend.

Mesa Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ:MLAB): Mesa Labs increases dividend to 14c from 13c per share. Mesa Laboratories announced that our board has declared a regular quarterly dividend of 14c per share of common stock, up from 13c per share last quarter. The dividend will be payable December 14 to shareholders of record on November 30.

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