Investors are hungry for any morsel of positive news on the financial front. Sysco , the largest marketer and distributor of food-service products in the U.S. and Canada, obliged Wednesday by sweetening its common dividend 9%. The Houston company will now pay 24 cents a share quarterly, up from 22 cents, for a 4.43% yield. Disbursement is scheduled for Jan. 23 to holders of record Jan. 2, and the stock goes ex-dividend Dec. 30. "Annual dividend increases have been a consistent practice at Sysco [ticker: SYY] ever since we went public in 1970," noted Richard J. Schnieders, chief executive officer. In September, directors approved a 20-million-share repurchase program, Sysco's 15th buyback since fiscal 1992 (ended June 30). In fiscal 2008, the company spent $529 million to repurchase roughly 17 million of its shares. There are about three million remaining under the prior authorization. Sysco's stock was recently quoted at 21 and change on the Big Board. The shares set a 52-week high of 35 on Sept. 15 and are now trading at a 52-week low.

Citing its financial strength, liquidity and ability to pay dividends, SkyWest (SKYW) lifted its quarterly last Tuesday by a penny, to four cents a share. This is the first hike since February 2004. Investors of record Dec. 31 will receive the new dividend Jan. 5. The ex-date is Dec. 29. Payouts have been made since 1987. SkyWest also resumed repurchasing its common. Under its current program, it can buy back up to 5.5 million of its shares. The stock has been trading at about 12 on Nasdaq, less than half its 52-week high. Yield: 1.35%. One of the nation's biggest regional carriers, SkyWest is the holding company for SkyWest Airlines in Utah and Atlantic Southeast Airlines in Atlanta. It serves 216 U.S. cities, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. In the 10 years through 2007, it posted compound annual growth rates of 24.1% for revenue, 20.3% for operating income and 14.1% for net income. This year, however, SkyWest, which operates as a Delta, United and Midwest Air connection carrier, is losing earnings altitude. Standard & Poor's points out that it continues to be hurt by schedule reductions at its major-airline customers, a contract dispute with Delta and a loss of revenue from financially troubled Midwest. Nine-month net fell to $91.7 million, or $1.55 a diluted share, from $118.3 million, or $1.83, while revenue rose to $934.1 million from $875.6 million.

Roper Industries (ROP) has been enriching its dividends every year since initiating them in 1992. Tuesday, it added a penny to its common payout, bringing it to 8.25 cents a share. The distribution, record and ex dates are Jan. 30, Jan. 9 and Jan. 7. The stock trades on the Big Board at a little under 37, down from a 52-week high of 70.48, giving it a yield of 0.90%. Roper, based in Sarasota, Fla., makes products for the global water, energy and radio-frequency markets and for use in research and medical applications. The company, which has $2.3 billion in annual revenue, generated record cash flow in the third quarter, as its margins continued to expand. As of Sept. 30, Roper had $156 million in cash. It expects to earn $3.13 to $3.16 a share in 2008. That's down from a previous estimate of $3.16 to $3.22, but up from 2007's $2.68.