In a shareholder-friendly move, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.'s (CHRW )board of directors approved a dividend hike of 1.6%, thereby raising its quarterly cash dividend to 64 cents per share ($2.56 annualized) from 63 cents ($2.52 annualized). The raised dividend will be paid on Jan. 5, 2027, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 4, 2026. The move reflects CHRW's intention to utilize free cash to enhance its shareholders' returns.
Notably, CHRW has been making uninterrupted dividend payments that have increased annually on a per-share basis for more than 25 years. As of Nov. 4, 2026, CHRW had almost 115,965,324 shares outstanding.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM)
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Quote
CHRW has been consistently making efforts to reward its shareholders through dividends and share buybacks, which are encouraging. C.H. Robinson rewarded its shareholders in 2022 through a combination of cash dividends ($285.32 million) and share repurchases ($1.459 billion). Continuing the shareholder-friendly approach, in 2023, CHRW repurchased shares worth $63.88 million and paid $291.56 million in cash dividends. During 2024, CHRW returned $294.77 million in the form of cash dividends (did not repurchase any shares). During 2025, CHRW repurchased shares worth $354.65 million and paid $301.37 million in cash dividends. During the first nine months of 2026, CHRW returned $229.13 million in the form of cash dividends and $639.92 million through share repurchases.
Dividend-paying stocks provide a solid income stream and have fewer chances of experiencing wild price swings. Dividend stocks, like CHRW, are safe bets for creating wealth, as the payouts generally act as a hedge against economic uncertainty like the current scenario.
CHRW management's decision to increase its quarterly dividend payout reflects the company's commitment to boosting shareholder value, apart from underlining confidence in its business. We believe such shareholder-friendly initiatives should boost investor confidence and positively impact thisZacks Rank #3 (Hold) company's bottom line. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here .
Shareholder-Friendly Moves by Other Transportation Companies
CHRW is not the only player from theZacks Transportation sector that has rewarded its shareholders with dividend payouts or share buyback programs in 2026.
To name a few, on July 9, 2026, Ryder System, Inc.'s (R )board of directors approved a dividend hike of 10.9%, thereby raising its quarterly cash dividend to $1.01 per share ($4.04 annualized) from 91 cents ($3.64 annualized). The raised dividend was paid on Sept. 18, 2026, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Aug. 24, 2026. The move reflects R's intention to utilize free cash to enhance its shareholders' returns.
On June 18, 2026, Delta Air Lines, Inc.'s (DAL )board of directors approved a dividend hike of 15%, thereby raising its quarterly cash dividend to 21.50 cents per share (86 cents annualized) from 18.75 cents (75 cents annualized). The raised dividend was paid on July 30, 2026, to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 9, 2026. The move underscores DAL's strong financial position and robust cash-flow generation, highlighting its commitment to delivering value to shareholders.
On May 5, 2026, Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.'s EXPD board of directors approved a dividend hike of 5.1%, raising its quarterly semi-annual cash dividend from 77 cents per share to 81 cents. The raised dividend was paid on June 16, 2026, to all its shareholders of record as of June 1. Additionally, in February 2026, EXPD's board approved a new share repurchase program, which allows the repurchase of up to $3 billion of its shares. Since 2024, EXPD has returned almost $2 billion to shareholders in the form of dividend payments and share repurchases.Such moves reflect EXPD's intention to utilize free cash to enhance its shareholders' returns.
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C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Ryder System, Inc. (R) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
