Washington Post Co. Ups Annual Dividend 5%

By: E&P Staff Following the lead of several other newspaper chains, the Washington Post Co. Thursday said it will raise its annual dividend 5% to $8.60 a share from $8.20 a share.

The first quarter dividend of $2.15 is payable Feb. 8 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 28.

In January of 2007, the company also increased its annual dividend by 5%.

The company, publisher of The Washington Post, now refers to itself as an "education and media company," noting that its education unit generates most of its overall revenue. Washington Post Co. owns Kaplan Inc., which runs classes and provides material to help h students prepare for standardized tests.