We have been commenting how General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) needs to cut its dividend, so it is important to see how these two compare. For starters 3M’s dividend hike is only 2%, or just a penny, to $0.51 per share for the first quarter of 2009. This marks the company’s 370th consecutive quarterly dividend and the 51st consecutive year of 3M dividend increases. Buckley did note that it is prudent to take a conservative approach to 3M’s dividend increase as a way to maintain a strong cash position. Even if GE cut the dividend by half of by one-third, it would still be one of the highest yielding DJIA components.