From Barron's 8-19-07: "Marietta is the No. 2 U.S. producer of aggregates (crushed stone, sand and gravel) for highways, homes, shopping malls and offices. "We continue to do a very effective job at managing our costs in a very challenging environment," declared Zelnak. Citing its strong cash position and performance, Raleigh, N.C.-based Marietta Wednesday hiked its quarterly common payout 25%, to 34.5 cents a share from 27.5 cents. Disbursement will take place Sept. 28 to stockholders of record Aug. 31. The ex-dividend date is Aug. 29."

From Barron's 8-19-07: "Vulcan Materials boosted its quarterly in February, to 46 cents a share from 37 cents. Its stock was recently quoted around 89. With U.S. residential construction spending at its lowest point since April 2004, Marietta is relying more heavily on roads and commercial work to pick up the slack. Also, aggregate supplies are tight in several of the company's key markets. It therefore has been able to raise prices, driving margin expansion and keeping profits at record levels."

From Barron's 8-19-07: "Cinemark Holdings, the third-largest movie-theater operator in the U.S. (after Regal Entertainment and AMC Entertainment), went public in April, selling shares worth $532 million. Monday, it declared its first dividend. Based in Plano, Texas, Cinemark voted a quarterly of 13 cents a share. Stockholders of record Sept. 4 will get the new payout Sept. 18. The ex-date is Aug. 30. Yield: 2.93%. (AMC, citing "adverse market conditions," canceled its $789 million initial public offering on the eve of its scheduled debut in May.)"

From Barron's 8-19-07: "For the second time this year, Tiffany (TIF) is enhancing its dividend. The jeweler raised it Thursday to 15 cents a share from 12 cents last quarter, which, in turn, was an increase from a dime."