I am not a stock trader; I am a dividend and value based long-term buy-and-hold investor. When I add a stock to my dividend portfolio, it is my intention to hold the stock forever. I am not smart enough to time the daily gyrations of the stock market. When stock prices start dropping, our primal instinct of flight kicks in and we want to sell. In many cases that is the time to be buying. However, sometimes selling a stock is the right thing to do. In determining when to sell a dividend stock, I have one hard and fast rule: When an individual stock held as a dividend investment lowers its dividend, immediately sell it.

Below are several companies making the case not to be sold by raising their cash dividends:

Dunkin Brands Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNKN) develops, franchises, and licenses quick service restaurants under the Dunkin Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands worldwide. On February 4 the company increased its quarterly dividend 13% to $0.30 per share. The dividend is payable March 16, 2016 to stockholders of record on March 7, 2016, with an ex-dividend date of March 3, 2016. The yield based on the new payout is 2.9%.

BCE Inc. (NYSE:BCE), a telecommunications and media company, provides wireless, wireline, Internet, and television services to residential, business, and wholesale customers in Canada. On February 4 the company increased its quarterly dividend 5% to C$0.6825 per share. The dividend is payable April 15, 2016 to stockholders of record on March 15, 2016, with an ex-dividend date of March 11, 2016. The yield based on the new payout is 4.7%.

PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL), a utility company, delivers electricity and natural gas in the United States and the United Kingdom. On February 4 the company increased its quarterly dividend 0.7% to $0.38 per share. The dividend is payable April 1, 2016 to stockholders of record on March 10, 2016, with an ex-dividend date of March 8, 2016. The yield based on the new payout is 4.1%.

Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE:OA) designs, builds, manufactures, and delivers space, defense, and aviation-related systems in the United States and internationally. On February 4 the company increased its quarterly dividend 15% to $0.30 per share. The dividend is payable March 24, 2016 to stockholders of record on March 7, 2016, with an ex-dividend date of March 3, 2016. The yield based on the new payout is 1.4%.