FACTBOX-U.S. companies announcing special and early dividends

Dec 5 (Reuters) - U.S. companies are rushing to boost
dividends before the end of the year due to uncertainty about
whether lawmakers in Washington can reach a budget deal to avoid
the "fiscal cliff".
The $600 billion of automatic tax rises and spending cuts
scheduled for the beginning of next year could include higher
rates for dividends, prompting some companies to either move up
planned payments or declare special dividends.
At least 50 U.S. companies have made these types of dividend
announcements since Nov. 6. Among the latest, Campbell Soup Co
said on Tuesday it would move up its January dividend
payment to December and pay an additional dividend in December,
in lieu of an April dividend.
Below is a list of U.S. companies that have announced
special dividends or brought dividends forward since Nov. 6. Not
all companies announcing these types of dividends have been
included in the list.

COMPANY DIV/SHAR TYPE PAYOUT* PAYOUT
DATE
The Buckle $4.50 + Special/Moved $225.3 Dec. 21
$0.20 mln
Hot Topic $0.08 Moved $3.4 mln Dec. 28

Carnival Corp $0.50 Special $297.2 Dec. 28
mln
Franklin $3.00 Special $636.9 Dec. 20
Resources mln

Westlake $3.75 Special $250.1 Nov. 26
Chemical mln

Lancaster $5.00 Special $136.5 Dec. 28
Colony mln
Sturm, Ruger & $4.50 Special $86.2 mln Dec. 21
Co
Gerodyne $38.30 Special $56.8 mln Dec. 14

Wal-Mart $0.3975 Moved $1.34 bln Dec. 27

Bolt Technology $0.50 Special $4.3 mln Dec. 18

Arden Group $20 Special 61.4 mln Dec. 18

Access National $0.70 Special $7.7 mln Dec. 17

Tredegar Corp $0.75 Special $24.1 mln Dec. 14

National $1.50-$3 Special $69.5 mln TBD
Beverage 00 - $138.9
mln
Dillard's $5.00 Special $ 235.7 Dec. 21
mln
Las Vegas Sands $2.75 Special $3.7 bln Dec. 18

Weight Watchers $0.175 Moved $9.7 mln Dec. 14

Drew Ind. $2.00 Special $44.6 mln Dec. 20

Ethan Allen $0.41 + Special + $14.4 mln Dec. 20
$0.09 moved
Insperity $1.00 Special $25.7 mln Dec. 21

Heico Corp $1.14 + Special + $49 mln Dec.21
$0.06 moved
Supertex $1.00 Special $25.7 mln Dec. 27

Marten $0.75 + Special + $17.1 mln Dec. 26
Transport $0.025 quarterly

Costco $7.00 Special $3.0 bln Dec. 18
Trans World $0.47 Special $14.8 mln Dec. 26

Movado $0.75 Special $18.9 mln Dec. 21
Fluor $0.16 Moved $26.6 mln Dec. 26
Village Super $1.00 Special $15 mln Dec. 27
Market per
class A
share,
$0.65
per
class B
share
KBW $2.00 Special $69 mln Dec. 17
Stein Mart $1.00 Special $43.7 mln Dec. 24

Whole Foods $2.00 Special $371 mln Dec. 21
Market
Tellabs $1.00 Special $367.5 Dec. 21
mln
Mastech $2.00 Special $6.4 mln Dec. 21
Holdings

Enzon $2.00 Special $88.8 mln Dec. 21
Pharmaceuticals

Oracle $0.18 Accelerated $867.4 Dec. 21
mln
PetMed Express $1.00 Special $20.01 Dec. 24
mln
Dish Network $1.00 Special $451.43 Dec. 28
mln
National Penn $0.10 Accelerated $14.96 Dec. 28
Bancshares mln

Electro $2.00 Special $58.8 mln Dec. 27
Scientific

Sun Hydraulics $1.00 Special $26.09 Dec. 28
mln
CDI $0.13 Accelerated $2.5 mln Dec. 26
Coach $0.30 Moved $85.11 Dec. 27
mln
Campbell Soup $0.29 Moved two $181.8 Dec. 28
+$0.29 mln
Cognex $1.00 Special $43 mln Dec. 24
Intrepid Potash $0.75 Special $56.5 mln Dec. 27

Eaton Vance $1.00 Special $115.2 Dec. 20
mln
American Eagle $0.11 Accelerated $21.8 mln Dec. 28
Outfitters

Dick's Sporting $2.00 Special $245.3 Dec. 28
Goods mln
General $0.51 Accelerated $180.1 Dec. 26
Dynamics mln
Best Buy $0.17 Moved $57.2 mln Dec. 31

* Figures based on latest data for shares outstanding or taken
from company filings where data is available

(Reporting by Edward Krudy and Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing
by James Dalgleish, David Gregorio, Andre Grenon and Andrew
Hay)