Another way to see this: Teck shareholders will not be happy with the huge cost of buying CUU; even if the purchase is good for them in the long term, it will lead to a short term drop in their shareprice (buy outs almost always inevitably do). This significant increase in dividend sweetens the pot for shareholders and sends a strong message to them: Teck can afford to make a large purchase while not impacting the financial flexibility of the company. All speculation on my part, of course, but if I held Teck, this news would certainly help me when the shoe drops on the CUU purchase.