We highlighted three well known dividend stocks here on TalkMarkets last week - jewelry maker Tiffany & Co (NYSE: TIF), which beat estimates and reporting growth in Asia;  Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL), which also beat analysts' projections and reported a 73% increase in revenue from its cloud services; and lastly, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) which also posted a positive quarter, indicating that it is still a relevant retail company and announced a 5% hike to its quarterly dividend. This week, the earnings releases continue, with results from several companies that are important to dividend investors - General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS), Accenture Plc (NYSE:ACN); and Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE).

Written by TheDividendManager.com

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)

General Mills will report its quarterly results before the opening bell on Tuesday, March 21. The packaged food company is expected to report earnings of $0.71 per share, above earnings of $0.65 per share posted in the same quarter, a year ago.

The stock took a hit last year due to weak revenue. However, General Mills has improved its outlook and gained back some confidence from investors. It has focused a lot more attention on its organic foods business to keep up with trends, although it still amounts to a very small part of its overall business.

General Mills has an excellent dividend reputation, too. It has been paying a dividend for well over 100 years and has been raising its dividend each year since 2004. Currently, the stock has a dividend yield over 3%, which is a great opportunity for investors.

Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE)

Nike will report its quarterly financial results after the closing bell on Tuesday, March 21. The athletic apparel company is expected to post earnings of $0.52 per share, below last year’s report of $0.55 per share.

The share price is down year-over-year, but it has performed in-line with the retail industry and the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSE: XRT). One of Nike’s biggest competitors, Finish Line (NYSE: FINL) will also report earnings this week.

The company currently offers a dividend yield of about 1.25% (the average among its peers is approximately 1.15%). It has been boosting its dividend every year since 2009.

Accenture Plc (NYSE: ACN)

Accenture will report is quarterly financial results before the opening bell on Thursday, March 23. The company is expected to post earnings of $1.30 per share, down from last year’s earnings of $1.34 per share.

Shares of Accenture have perform in-line with the overall market over the last year. However, the outsourcing/business services industry has seen sluggish growth.

The company initiated its annual dividend in 2006. In 2010, Accenture switched to a semi annual dividend schedule. It has been increasing its dividend annually since 2010. The stock currently offers a dividend yield of about 2%.