The board of directors of Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX) has declared a 5% increase in the company’s quarterly dividend to 78.75 cents per share, payable on March 15, 2017, to common shareholders of record as of March 7, 2017. The ex-dividend date is March 3, 2017.

“Our employees continued to execute on our core business strategy in 2016, driving free cash flow to a record level,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steve Angel. “As a result, we are proud to announce a five percent increase in our dividend, making this our 24th consecutive annual increase.”

About Praxair

Praxair, Inc., a Fortune 300 company with 2016 sales of $11 billion, is a leading industrial gas company in North and South America and one of the largest worldwide. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies are making our planet more productive by bringing efficiency and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, primary metals and many others. More information about Praxair, Inc. is available at www.praxair.com.