Daily Dividend Report: WFC, ANTM, MPC, DFS, HSY, XOM, MRK
Wednesday, July 26, 3:35 PM ET

Anthem (NYSE:ANTM) declared a third quarter 2017 dividend to shareholders of $0.70 per share, an increase of $0.05 per share from the second quarter dividend. On an annualized basis, this equates to a dividend of $2.80 per share. The third quarter dividend is payable on September 25, 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 8, 2017.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) declared a dividend of $0.40 per share on common stock, an 11 percent increase from the $0.36 per share dividend paid in the second quarter of 2017. The dividend is payable Sept. 11, 2017, to shareholders of record as of the close of business Aug. 16, 2017.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) has approved a new $2.75 billion share repurchase program and increased the quarterly common stock dividend from $0.30 to $0.35 per share. The new share repurchase program expires on October 31, 2018, and may be terminated at any time. This is a five quarter share repurchase program and replaces the prior five-quarter, $2.5 billion program. The Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.35 per share of common stock payable on September 7, 2017, to holders of record at the close of business on August 24, 2017.

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) announced quarterly dividends of $0.656 on the Common Stock and $0.596 on the Class B Common Stock, an increase of about 6%, or $0.038 and $0.034 per share, respectively. The dividends were declared on July 25, 2017 and are payable September 15, 2017 to stockholders of record August 25, 2017.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) declared a cash dividend of $0.77 per share on the Common Stock, payable on September 11, 2017 to shareholders of record of Common Stock at the close of business on August 14, 2017.

Merck (NYSE:MRK) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share of the company's common stock for the fourth quarter of 2017. Payment will be made on Oct. 6, 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Sept. 15, 2017.