This week's dividend activity included increased payouts from Merck (MRK) and McCormick (MKC) as well as declarations from companies such as General Mills (NYSE:GIS) and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL).

Additionally, looking towards next week, industry players such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) will see the ex-dividend dates for their upcoming dividend payments.

See a breakdown below of some of the highlights of this week, along with some upcoming activity on the dividend front.

Dividend Increases

Here are some companies that have announced a dividend increase in the past week:

Merck (MRK)

• Dividend declared: November 19
• New dividend amount: $0.81
• Previous amount: $0.77
• Increase: 5.2%

McCormick (MKC)

• Dividend declared: November 19
• New dividend amount: $0.45
• Previous amount: $0.42
• Increase: 7.1%

Agilent Technologies (A)

• Dividend declared: November 20
• New dividend amount: $0.248
• Previous amount: $0.236
• Increase: 5.1%

Dividend Declarations

Here are some companies that have announced a dividend in the past week:

General Mills (GIS)

• Dividend declared: November 18
• Dividend amount: $0.60

Halliburton (HAL)

• Dividend declared: November 18
• Dividend amount: $0.17

Clorox (CLX)

• Dividend declared: November 19
• Dividend amount: $1.22

T-Mobile US (TMUS)

• Dividend declared: November 22
• Dividend amount: $0.88

Upcoming Dividend Calendar

Here are some companies that have an ex-dividend date coming next week:

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)

• Ex-dividend date: November 26
• Payout date: December 10

Voya Financial Inc (VOYA)

• Ex-dividend date: November 26
• Payout date: December 26

Home Depot (HD)

• Ex-dividend date: November 27
• Payout date: December 12

Coca-Cola (KO)

• Ex-dividend date: November 29
• Payout date: December 16