CVS Health (CVS) is one of America’s most dominant healthcare players. The company operates the nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain with over 9,900 retail locations and is the biggest U.S. pharmacy based on total prescription revenue. CVS is also one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), having acquired Caremark RX for $21 billion in [...]

Founded in 1901 (but with roots going back to 1849), Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is one of the world’s largest pharmacy retailers and drug distributors, operating over 18,000 pharmacy stores around the world. Following its 2014 merger with European pharmacy giants Boots, Walgreens changed its name to Walgreens Boots Alliance and became the largest retail [...]

Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) is one of North America's largest midstream master limited partnerships, with approximately 50,000 miles of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL), crude oil, refined products, and petrochemical pipelines. The company also owns a number of storage facilities, processing plants, and terminals. Enterprise’s network of assets helps move different types of energy [...]

General Motors (GM) was founded in 1897 in Detroit, Michigan, and is one of the largest carmakers in the world. The company sold 8.4 million vehicles globally in 2018, earning 8.9% global market share and 16.7% share of its core U.S. market. General Motors has embarked on a multi-year strategy to redesign and expand its [...]

Campbell Soup (CPB) has had a "Borderline Safe" Dividend Safety Score since closing its $6.1 billion acquisition of snack company Snyder's-Lance in March 2018. While this deal improved Campbell's diversification and overall growth profile, it also resulted in a significant spike in the company's financial leverage. Source: Simply Safe Dividends These situations will almost always [...]

Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP) is one of America’s largest and oldest MLPs and specializes in refined petroleum products. The MLP's pipeline systems are utilized by energy companies such as Marathon, Valero, HollyFrontier, and Phillips 66. Magellan transports products such as gasoline and diesel fuel from refineries, helping them eventually reach gasoline stations, truck stops, airports, [...]

Uniti Group (UNIT), a wireless infrastructure REIT, has sported a "Very Unsafe" Dividend Safety Score and a double-digit yield for years. In our April 2018 thesiswe made the following remarks: "Uniti Group appears to be cheap for a reason and is a very high risk dividend stock. The company's payout could be reduce substantially at any [...]

Consolidated Edison (ED) was founded in 1884 and serves as a regulated electric and gas utility to the New York metro areas and Westchester County, NY. Con Edison's principal business segments are: Con Edison of New York (88% of 2018 earnings): provides electric service to approximately 3.5 million customers and gas service to about 1.1 million [...]

Kraft Heinz (KHC) reported a bombshell earnings report this evening, validating investor concerns over the company's struggling turnaround. The bad news included: A $15.4 billion non-cash impairment charge related to the value of its Kraft natural cheese, Oscar Mayer cold cuts, and Canadian retail businesses An investigation by the SEC into the firm's accounting policies [...]

Founded in 1920, PPL (PPL) is a pure-play regulated gas and electricity utility serving 7.9 million customers in the United Kingdom (U.K.), 1.4 million in Pennsylvania, and 1.3 million in Kentucky. The majority of PPL’s earnings are generated in the U.K., where regulators have historically allowed for superior returns on equity compared to most U.S. [...]

Kellogg (K) shares have slumped over 20% since September, sending the stock's dividend yield up to about 4%, its highest level in 19 years. With Kellogg's earnings expected to decline close to 10% over the next year, plus the company's somewhat elevated debt load, let's take a closer look at Kellogg's dividend safety and long-term [...]

Duke Energy’s (DUK) history dates back to the early 1900s, and the company is the largest electric utility in the country today, serving approximately 7.7 million electric customers and 1.6 million gas customers across the Southeast and Midwest regions of the U.S. Regulated electric utilities and infrastructure account for 85% of Duke Energy’s earnings, but [...]

Qualcomm (QCOM), an embattled tech giant, has seen its share of drama over the years. Most recently, the company's stock has sold off 30% since early September 2018, causing its dividend yield to soar to a record high near 5%. Let's take a look at Qualcomm's latest slump to review if anything appears to have [...]

Dominion Energy (D) and its predecessors have delivered energy since 1898. Today the company is one of America's largest diversified utilities with a customer base of 7.5 million gas and electric customers in 18 states. In recent years Dominion has grown through various acquisitions including its 2016 purchase of Questar (natural gas distributor) for $5.9 [...]

Many companies grow through acquisitions, but Wall Street is often skeptical of big deals given the risks involved. In May 2018, International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) announced it was buying rival Frutarom in a $7.1 billion cash-and-stock deal. Given that IFF's market cap at the time was just over $12 billion, this qualified as a big acquisition. [...]