EQT Midstream Partners, LP (EQM) is a master limited partnership formed by EQT Corp (EQT) to own, operate, and expand its gas gathering, storage, processing, and transportation assets in the Marcellus and Utica shale regions of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. The firm's assets provide midstream services to EQT, other energy producers, and utilities to [...]

Whenever a dividend stock's price plunges to multi-year lows, investors naturally want to know if the market is signaling that something is deeply wrong, such as if the business model has weakened enough to potentially put the dividend at risk. That's been the case with food giant Kraft Heinz (KHC), which has fallen over 40% [...]

Founded in 1894 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Hershey (HSY) manufactures and sells chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products including: gum and mints; baking ingredients such as toppings, beverages, and syrups; and snack items, including spreads, meat snacks, bars, mixes, popcorn, protein bars, and cookies. These products are marketed under over 80 leading brands including: Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kisses, [...]

Meredith (MDP) is one of the nation's oldest media and publishing companies, having been founded in 1902 as an agricultural publisher. More impressively, the firm has paid uninterrupted dividends for 71 consecutive years and has increased its dividend in each of the last 25 years. At its core, Meredith provides consumers with the content they [...]

Founded in 1920, Occidental Petroleum (OXY) is an international exploration and development (E&D) company with operations in North America, Latin America, and the Middle East. The firm's production is somewhat balanced across oil (64% of total production), gas (21%), and natural gas liquids (15%). Occidental is also geographically diverse with about half of its energy [...]

It's been a brutal year for dividend aristocrat AbbVie (ABBV), which has seen its share price plunge more than 30% from its all-time high. As a result, the stock's yield is now at a record high of 5.2%, and shares trade at just 9.9 times forward earnings. Whenever a dividend stock's price crashes this severely, [...]

Founded initially in 2002, Energy Transfer LP (ET) was formed out of the $27 billion all-stock merger of MLP Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) and its sponsor Energy Transfer Equity (ETE) in October 2018. Energy Transfer is one of the largest integrated midstream MLPs in America. The firm owns a sizable network of assets that gather, [...]

Income investors are often attracted to mouthwatering yields, and L Brands' (LB) 7% payout certainly qualifies. Founded in 1963, L Brands operates over 3,000 company-owned retail stores, primarily under the Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works brands. Most of its locations are mall-based. By building up dominant brands in the lingerie, beauty, and fragrance [...]

On October 16, IBM (IBM) reported disappointing earnings that sent shares plunging nearly 8% the next day. This week shares continued tumbling after IBM announced plans to acquire software company Red Hat (RHT) for $34 billion. As a result, IBM's stock now trades at its lowest price since 2009, and its other valuation metrics also [...]

Founded in 1898, Whirlpool (WHR) is the world's largest appliance manufacturer with over $20 billion in annual sales. The company makes and sells laundry appliances, refrigerators and freezers, cooking appliances, dishwashers, mixers, and other small domestic appliances. These products are sold under its Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, Jenn-Air, Indesit, and Hotpoint brands.

Vodafone's (VOD) dividend has scored at the absolute bottom rung (41) of our "Borderline Safe" Dividend Safety Score category throughout all of 2018. Companies on this part of our scale often find themselves in a murky area, and Vodafone is no exception. In fact, a number of analysts have been speculating about a potential dividend [...]

AltaGas (ATGFF) owns energy infrastructure assets across North America. The firm started in the midstream business and expanded into the power and utilities sectors over time. While these are all capital-intensive businesses, they have mostly been steady cash flow generators as well. As a result, AltaGas enjoys an investment grade credit rating and has rewarded [...]

Owens & Minor (OMI) has never cut its dividend since it began paying one in 1977. The company breezed through the financial crisis, growing revenue by 20% while raising its dividend 35% between 2007 and 2009. For much of the past two decades, shareholders have been rewarded with annual dividend increases north of 10%. But [...]

On October 1, GE announced it was firing CEO John Flannery after just 14 months in the top office. That's compared to 20- and 16-year tenures for Jack Welch and Jeffrey Immelt, respectively. The surprise news sent shares up 13% at one point because the new CEO, Lawrence Culp, had a great track record as [...]

Over the past few years the midstream industry, especially master limited partners (MLPs), has experienced a bear market that has disrupted its standard business model. As a result, various companies and MLPs have had to adapt, including by simplifying their business models via mergers and eliminations of incentive distribution rights. Enbridge (ENB) recently announced a [...]