More Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies are paying dividends than at any time since January 2000 after Apple Inc., Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. and six other corporations initiated payouts this year.

The number has risen to 401, according to data compiled by Howard Silverblatt, S&P's senior index analyst. His estimate for total payouts this year, which Silverblatt said is under review, is a record $279 billion.

Nasdaq OMX, the second-biggest U.S. operator of stock exchanges, announced its first dividend yesterday. Apple, the world's biggest company by market value, unveiled one in March after canceling its program in 1996. Exxon Mobil Corp. increased its dividend yesterday for the 30th straight year, making its $10.7 billion annual distribution the largest in the world, according to Silverblatt.

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