The new quarterly common payout, which has nearly tripled over the past two years, will be 18 cents a share, versus 15 cents. Distribution is set for June 13 to holders of record May 30. The stock goes ex-dividend May 28. Yield: 1.32%. Dividends have been paid without interruption since 1922. A Dow Jones transports component, the stock set a 52-week high of 55 Wednesday. CSX also intends to repurchase $3 billion worth of its shares through 2009. Its current $3 billion program has $600 million remaining, to which the Jacksonville, Fla., company has added $2.4 billion more.

Bassett Furniture Industries (BSET) is hiking its quarterly common dividend 12.5%. The new rate: 22.5 cents, versus the 20 cents paid since mid-1993. Bassett also expanded its stock-buyback authorization by $20 million. The shares trade on Nasdaq a few notches below their 52-week high of 15.98, and they yield a hefty 7.41%.