Merck spent most of a decade trailing the S&P 500, then something unusual happened in a single year that changed the entire math. Whether that burst signals a new chapter or a one-time event…
While Dow and LyondellBasell handed shareholders painful dividend cuts, a handful of chemical names kept raising their payouts through the same downcycle. The structural reasons behind that divide reveal which corner of the sector…
Paychex just handed income investors a yield nearly double what ADP offers, but a 14% selloff and a balance sheet carrying billions in acquisition debt raise questions about whether that payout is a bargain…
UnitedHealth shareholders spent five years waiting for a stock that barely budged, yet something inside the company kept growing the whole time. Whether that something is enough to make UNH worth holding now depends…
A $63 billion water utility merger puts two dividend stocks on a collision course, and the one that looks weaker on paper may actually be the smarter retirement hold heading into the deal's close.
Pacemakers and glucose monitors keep selling whether the economy booms or collapses, and three medical device giants have spent decades turning that predictable demand into paychecks that grow every single year. One has raised…
Amgen just handed income investors another dividend raise, but a mountain of acquisition debt, crumbling legacy drugs, and a billion-dollar obesity bet are all competing for the same pool of cash.
Selling assets can keep a dividend alive for a while, but every sale shrinks the pool of what remains. These six companies have been leaning on divestitures to fund their payouts, and the list…
Pest control and sanitation contracts renew whether markets cooperate or not, yet two of the three companies discussed here have lost nearly half their value this year while their customers keep paying. The business…
Both industrial distributors have rewarded shareholders for years, but one carries a payout ratio that leaves little cushion while the other sits below analyst targets with a cleaner growth story waiting to play out.
Wall Street has soured on UPS, General Mills, and Best Buy for very different reasons, but all three still send out checks that yield as much as 7%. Whether that income is a trap…
Dillard's posted a yield that barely registers at 0.18%, yet some shareholders collected over $31 per share in the past year alone. Whether that kind of payout repeats depends on factors most income investors…
Pest control and sanitation companies sell contracts that customers keep renewing even when share prices collapse, and two of these three stocks are down sharply this year while their retention numbers barely flinched.
Campbell's just slashed a dividend it had protected for 25 years, and Smucker carries some of the same warning signs that preceded the cut. Before you assume the Folgers maker is safe, here is…
McDonald's just raised its dividend again even as its stock hit a multiyear low and U.S. foot traffic turned negative. The reason has almost nothing to do with selling burgers.
When one company controls both your paycheck and your retirement savings, a single bad quarter can take everything at once. Dave Ramsey's warning to a recent caller reveals exactly how this trap forms quietly…
Freight railroads own infrastructure that cannot be replicated, but their dividends depend on variables most income investors overlook. Three major carriers just reported results that reveal exactly which payouts can survive the next downturn…
IBM has raised its dividend every year since 2016 without missing a beat, but the company writing those checks today barely resembles the one that started the streak. The question is whether the math…
Both Kohl's and Macy's have slashed their dividends before, both just raised guidance, and both are pitching themselves as turnaround stories. The question for retirees counting on that quarterly check is which payout actually…
Home Depot's stock sits near a 52-week low and housing turnover has been frozen for four years, yet the company keeps writing dividend checks. Whether that streak survives depends on three numbers investors should…
