MetLife (MET) increased their second quarter 2014 dividend by 27 Percent. The company declared a second quarter 2014 common stock dividend of $0.35 per share, an increase from the prior quarterly common stock dividend of $0.275 per share. The dividend will be payable on June 13, 2014 to shareholders of record as of May 9, 2014.

Simon Property Group (SPG) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $1.30 per share. This is an increase of $0.05 from the previous quarter, and a year-over-year increase of 13%. The dividend will be payable on May 30, 2014 to stockholders of record on May 16, 2014.

Southern Company (SO) said it is increasing its annual dividend by 7 cents per share to a rate of $2.10 per share. The increase marks the 13th straight year that Southern Company has raised the dividend on its common stock. Southern Company also announced a regular quarterly dividend ñ including an increase of 1.75 cents per share on a quarterly basis ñ of 52.50 cents per share, payable June 6, 2014, to shareholders of record as of May 5, 2014.

Noble Energy (NBL) announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of 18 cents per common share, which represents an increase of nearly 29 percent from the prior 14 cents per common share quarterly dividend. The dividend is payable on May 19, 2014, to the shareholders of record at the close of business on May 5, 2014.

And, Stryker Corporation (SYK) has maintained a dividend consistent with that of the prior quarter, by declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.305 per share payable on July 31, 2014, to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 30, 2014.