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 (Bloomberg) -- Netflix Inc. shares edged higher in U.S. pre-market trading, though remain far below 2018 and 2019 highs, after a mixed earnings report that showed overseas growth helping to offset a slowdown at home amid increasing competition from Walt Disney Co. and Apple Inc.Analysts were generally positive about the results and, while first-quarter guidance missed estimates, Piper Sandler analyst Michael Olson said that the forecast may be conservative. Netflix added 8.3 million subscribers internationally in the fourth quarter to surpass 100 million paid memberships outside of the U.S. for the first time.Stifel analyst Scott W. Devitt noted that Disney appeared to have a less meaningful impact in available international markets than in the U.S. Still, the analyst cautioned of the potential impact from the broader rollout of Disney in EMEA toward the end of the first quarter.The stock gained 1.2% to $342 a share at 6.13 a.m. in New York.Here's a summary of what some other analysts had to say.Morgan Stanley, Ben SwinburneOverweight, price target $400Update reinforces bullish long-term view and, going forward, analyst expects 90% of global paid net additions to come from outside the U.S., amid continued elevated domestic churn.Notes that local originals were the most popular titles in 2019 in countries including India, Japan, Turkey, Sweden and the U.K.Guidance for nearly $1bn in free cash flow improvement begins the path toward positive FCF and reinforces confidence in the earnings outloo
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The S&P 500's dividend stocks provided shareholders with an average payout boost of more than 8% in 2019. However, a number of outstanding companies announced far more substantial dividend increases - 20%, 30% or more. In a few cases, companies more than doubled their payouts overnight.
Companies often authorize significant upgrades in their regular dividends to attract new investors or stand out from industry competitors. While one-time influxes of cash will often go toward buybacks or one-time special dividends, firms that believe they can maintain heightened levels of profitability will return some of that money through larger regular payouts.
You'll notice that many of the past year's largest dividend increases came from the banking industry. That's in part because some large banks that were sitting on stockpiles of cash received permission from government regulators to distribute their excess capital to investors. Another major impetus for dividend growth was tax reform, which bumped up after-tax profits for many American companies, including banks.
Here, we look at 30 companies that stood out over the past year because of their outsize dividend increases. Each dividend growth stock listed here improved its regular payout by at least 20% in 2019, though in numerous cases, the dividend improved by considerably more. Let's take a look.
SEE ALSO: The Pros' Picks: 13 Top Dividend Stocks for 2020
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