Eli Lilly Increases Dividend By 2%

Eli Lilly said on Monday that it was increasing its quarterly dividend by 2% to 50 cents a share. The new dividend will be payable March 10, 2015 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 13. "The increase in our dividend signals continued confidence in Lilly's future and confirms our commitment to return additional cash to shareholders," said Chief Executive John Lechleiter. The stock had run up 37% this year through Monday, compared with a 23% rise in the SPDR Health Care Select Sector ETF and a 7.6% gain in the S&P 500.