Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now

There was big news out of the market for dividend and income investors last week. Two of the bluest blue chips, Microsoft (MSFT) and McDonald's (MCD), both announced big dividend increases.

Microsoft pleased the Street with a 22% increase to its dividend, climbing to $1.12 annually that equates to a current yield of 3.4%. Microsoft also announced another $40 billion share buyback program to replace its existing $40 billion authorization that is set to expire on Sep 30. McDonalds announced a dividend increase of its own, raising its payout by 5% to 81 cents per share, lifting its current yield to 3.3%.

But that got me thinking: Which companies from the S&P 500 are the most shareholder friendly, with the biggest dividend increases in the last 5 years? Here is a list of the top 5 companies from the last 5 years with the biggest dividend increases.

Best Construction Material Companies To Watch In Right Now: Visa Inc.(V)

Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Getty Images If you've spent any time at all here on DailyFinance, you know that we're actually fans of credit cards -- when they're used correctly. The reasons are legion. Credit cards offer their holders rewards for shopping with them, ranging from airline miles to cash to points redeemable for cash back, account credits, merchandise and gift cards. Credit cards also let you float your debt for as much as a month at a time, before having to pay for your purchases -- rather than having these payments deducted from your account immediately. And as long as that debt is floating, and unpaid, you collect interest on the cash. Just so long as you pay in full every month (and yes, we know that's a big caveat) you get all those benefits at little cost, and build up your credit history and credit score, which can save you an enormous amount of money over a lifetime. But there are other benefits in a credit card that many of us never bother to use -- perhaps because we never know about them. Kiplinger's magazine recently dug up a treasure trove of often-overlooked credit card perks. Here are just three of the biggest: 1. Double the Warranty, Double the Fun When shopping online, it's common to come across products that come with a manufacturer's warranty of 90, 180 or even 365 days. Buy an iPhone 6, for example, and Apple (AAPL) will cover the product for hardware repairs for one full year. Buy a refurbished piece of Apple gear, though, and chances are it'll come with only a 90-day warranty. Meanwhile, an extended-life battery for a competing Samsung (SSNLF) Galaxy SIII can be purchased with 180 days of warranty coverage on Amazon.com (AMZN). But did you know that when paying for these purchases with a credit card, you can often get your warranty period doubled, at no extra charge? As Kiplinger's reveals, all four of the major credit card companies -- Visa (V), MasterCard (MA), American Express (AXP), and even Discover (DFS) -- offer cards that, among their fringe

• [By David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer]

  In this video, Motley Fool financial analysts David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer discuss three reasons American Express is well-positioned and a possibly better than Visa (NYSE: V  ) or MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) �as�way to play the growth in plastic.�

• [By Sean Williams]

  And then there's payment processing company Visa (NYSE: V  ) , perhaps one of the very few long-term investments you can get charged up about that combines the potential for rapid growth with consistency in nearly all economic environments. The way I see it, Visa has five opportunities that put it at the head of the class.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Chevron Corporation(CVX)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment involves in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as holds interest in a gas-to-liquids project. The Downstream segment engages in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products primarily under the Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names; transportation of crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car; and manufacture and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives. It a lso produces and markets coal and molybdenum; and holds interests in 13 power assets with a total operating capacity of approximately 3,100 megawatts, as well as involves in cash management and debt financing activities, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, and alternative fuels and technology business. Chevron Corporation has a joint venture agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corp. and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in May 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is based in San Ramon, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jesse Solomon]

  The unrelenting reign of Big Oil: It's not called Big Oil for nothing. With a market value of over $400 billion, Exxon Mobil (XOM)is the second largest company in the world. Chevron (CVX), ConocoPhillips (COP), and Occidental Petroleum (OXY) aren't too far behind. And all them are listed in the S&P 500, the popular index of America's largest companies.

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Energy stocks aren't much better off today. Two of Big Oil's top players are mired in the red: Shares of Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) and ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM  ) have fallen 1.2% and 0.7%, respectively. Chevron made waves today after the firm announced that it will sell its rights to two oil blocks off the Nigerian coast. Chevron hasn't begun production at either of the blocks, of which it is 40% owner and which are estimated to hold a combined 200 million barrels of oil. The company has performed well in Nigeria in recent years, producing some 238,000 barrels of crude oil daily in 2012.

• [By David Smith]

  Chevron's new baby
  Operations in the deepwater will also benefit as time passes from a technological development called dual-gradient drilling, or DGD. The new advancement is largely the child of Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) , and it clearly will benefit the second-biggest U.S.-based oil and gas major.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Jordon]

  The company's biggest blunders include:

  Ignoring touchscreen-sticking with "qwerty" keyboards with its supposed lock on corporate accounts.Missing out on apps-Apple (AAPL) and Android devices makers invited app designers to build programs for their handsets, BlackBerry kept app development to themselves.Assuming customer loyalty-believing they had an "unbreakable stronghold on corporate email", assuring theirs would remain the default device of choice.

  When Apple's iPhone was introduced in 2007, BlackBerry stock was at $67 a share. Now it trades under $11. Revenue for fiscal year 2012 was down 45% from 2010. Apple's app store had revenues last year topping $9 billion; by 2016 they could be $22 billion.

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Uh-oh, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) . Bill Gates says iPad users are "frustrated" because they don't have access to Microsoft's Office suite of productivity software.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington]

  McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) , for example, also took a hit during April, as same-store sales for its Asia/Pacific region fell 2.9% that month, thanks largely to weakness in China. Of course, when we remember McDonald's currently operates less than one-third the total number of locations in China as Yum! Brands, combined with the fact that Mickey D's most significant market here in the U.S. is showing remarkable strength, it should come as no surprise that McDonald's investors weren't nearly as concerned as those with an interest in Yum! stock.�

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Flipping burgers
  So when you first hear about employees attending McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) Hamburger University or Starbucks staffers taking Barista Basics courses and earning college credits for it, you'd be forgiven for thinking they're the educational equivalent of cotton candy: a fun snack but hardly fulfilling.

• [By Dividend Growth Investor]

  McDonald�� Corporation (MCD) franchises and operates McDonald's restaurants in the United States, Europe, the Asia/Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Canada, and Latin America. The golden arches is another stock, which is priced attractively here today, and which can deliver plenty of value over the next 20 years. It is a globally recognized brand, has pricing power, and has continually managed to reinvent itself. With its ��lan to Win��strategy, the company targets 3-5% growth in annual sales and 6-7% growth in operating earnings. Add in a 3% yield, and a 2% reduction in stock through share repurchases, and you can easily expect very good results over time. The company has increased dividends for 36 years in a row, and has managed to boost them by 28.40%/year over the past decade. Currently, the stock trades at 18.20 times earnings and yields 3.10%. Check my analysis of McDonald��.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By abirk]

  Philip Morris International (PM) is reaching new heights in 2013. With its products being sold in 180 countries it is the proud owner of about 15 cigarette brands- Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, and Chesterfield being some of them. FY2013 looks bright for this tobacco giant. Reasons Why 2013 Is Looking Bright

• [By GuruFocus]

  Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) Reached the 52-Week Low of $83.79
  
  The prices of Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) shares have declined to close to the 52-week low of $83.79, which is 15.1% off the 52-week high of $96.73. Philip Morris International Inc. is owned by 31 Gurus we are tracking. Among them, 14 have added to their positions during the past quarter. Nine reduced their positions.

• [By Ted Cooper]

  Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM  ) returned 146% in stock price increases and dividends over the last five years. That's an average of nearly 30% per year. Clearly, investors who owned Philip Morris for any significant length of time during the last five years made out pretty well. Unfortunately, two new developments have emerged to make future returns less certain. All Philip Morris investors need to know about these two things before deciding whether to hold or sell their stock.

• [By GuruFocus]

  Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) Reached the 52-Week Low of $85.37

  The prices of Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) shares have declined to close to the 52-week low of $85.37, which is 15.1% off the 52-week high of $96.73. Philip Morris International Inc. is owned by 31 Gurus we are tracking. Among them, 14 have added to their positions during the past quarter. Ten reduced their positions.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Tech stocks scored an unfortunate hat trick by claiming the three worst performances on today's Dow. Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) has dropped 7%, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) has lost 5% of its value, and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) has taken a 2.7% haircut. No other Dow stock has plunged anywhere near as much. IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) was spared from this bloodbath, instead rising 0.3%.

Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  One concern, though, is how the company handled news of Venezuela's currency devaluation. Clorox (NYSE: CLX  ) and Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) also felt the pinch, with Clorox taking about a $0.05 to $0.10 per-share earnings hit and Colgate losing about $0.50 per share. But they also addressed the potential devaluation more proactively than P&G did. Clorox actually�anticipated�the devaluation in its February earnings report, projecting the potential hit if a devaluation took place. Colgate didn't provide specific guidance in advance but clearly saw it as an issue, delivering on a promise to give prompt guidance revisions after the devaluation occurred.

• [By Dan Burrows]

  Rival Colgate-Palmolive (CL) has different concerns, namely sluggishness in emerging markets where it enjoys commanding market share and derives more than half its revenue.

• [By Kashafa Investment Research]

  What works in P&G�� advantage is the fact that the company is already ahead of its peers in the emerging markets. As of 2012, P&G had sales of $33 billion in developing markets as compared to $24 billion for Unilever (UL) and $10 billion for Colgate (CL). This competitive edge over peers will sustain as P&G has product quality, innovation and has a significant marketing budget given its comfortable cash position.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight and the price target is now $68 (versus a $59.93 close) at Morgan Stanley.