America's largest banks have come a long ways since the 2007-09 financial crisis. Based on data from the Federal Reserve, they are well capitalized and have sizable capital buffers to absorb losses from unexpected shocks. The Fed's 2019 stress test on the nation's largest banks such as Wells Fargo (WFC) indicated that these institutions could [...]

Shares of Dominion and other utilities have been dragged down with the broader market over the past month, a surprise to many since utility stocks are normally seen as safe havens during a downturn. In fact, Dominion's dividend yield spiked to 6.3% on Monday (its highest level in over a decade) and now sits at [...]

Chevron (CVX) this morning announced a series of actions to preserve capital in response to the unprecedented decline in oil prices. As part of the plan, management pledged to protect the dividend: “Chevron’s financial priorities remain unchanged. Our focus is on protecting the dividend, prioritizing capital that drives long-term value, and supporting the balance sheet.” – Chevron [...]

CBS and Viacom completed their merger in December 2019 to form ViacomCBS (VIAC). The global media and entertainment company creates content and owns a variety of cable and broadcasting networks. Source: ViacomCBS Investor Presentation The coronavirus outbreak has created several headaches for ViacomCBS which seem likely to slow the company's progress in reaching its deleveraging [...]

Paychex (PAYX) provides payroll and human resource services to small- and mid-sized businesses across a wide range of industries. The firm's operations historically generated predictable free cash flow and high margins. Even during the 2007-09 financial crisis, Paychex's payroll services segment only experienced 2-3% annual revenue declines, and its human resources division grew each year. [...]

This morning Total (TOT) announced its response to the $30 per barrel oil environment we are living in. The company plans to maintain its 35-plus year streak of uninterrupted dividends. Management took actions to slash its capital spending by nearly 20%, suspend its share repurchases, and double down on its cost-cutting programs. Source: Total Investor Presentation Together, [...]

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.B) announced a series of initiatives this morning to improve its cash flow generation. While management did not comment specifically on the dividend, its lack of inclusion in the firm's new capital preservation measures suggests Shell intends to maintain its payout for now.

Dear customer or prospective member, Matt (my business partner) and I want to provide you with an update on how Simply Safe Dividends is responding to the impact of the coronavirus and the turmoil it has caused in financial markets.  The past several weeks have been a trying time for the U.S. and the world. Our [...]

According to the Wall Street Journal, over 38,000 stores around the U.S. have temporarily closed in response to the coronavirus outbreak.  Deemed to sell essential products, Lowe's has not. In fact, two associates we spoke to (including one in Chicago where a shelter-in-place order had gone into effect) described their stores as "slammed" and "really busy". At [...]

Phillips 66 (PSX) is a diversified petrochemical company that refines crude oil and natural gas into fuels and petrochemicals, operates gas stations in the U.S. and Europe, and owns stakes in two midstream MLPs that transport fuels. Phillips 66's earnings are very hard to forecast as they depend largely on unpredictable swings in commodity prices [...]

Main Street Capital (MAIN) was the only Safe-rated business development company, or BDC, prior to the coronavirus outbreak. Five other BDCs were rated Borderline Safe, and the remaining 30-plus companies have had Unsafe or Very Unsafe Dividend Safety Scores for several years. Since the beginning of March, the VanEck Vectors BDC Income ETF (BIZD), which tracks the overall performance of publicly traded [...]

On March 6, we discussed why Chevron appeared to have one of the safest dividends in the energy sector. Days later, the price of oil plunged from around $45 per barrel to below $35 as Saudi Arabia engaged Russia in a price war for market share. At the time, we shared our thoughts that the price of oil could [...]

In a market filled with uncertainty, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski provided income investors with a vote of assurance during his interview with CNBCtoday:  "The dividend for us is a paramount priority and so there's no changes planned for that." McDonald's is one of the few restaurant stocks positioned to continue its dividend during the coronavirus pandemic. [...]

The coronavirus outbreak has prompted a growing number of retailers to temporarily close their stores to help slow the spread of the virus. Earlier this week V.F. Corp (VFC) announced plans to shutter its North American stores through April 6 in addition to previously announced closures throughout Europe and Asia. With revenue set to take a big hit for [...]

The novel coronavirus outbreak has triggered temporary store closures and social distancing restrictions designed to slow the virus' spread.  The end result has been unprecedented disruption for most of Sysco's food distribution customers, including restaurants (62% of sales), hotels (9%), and schools and governments (9%). Based on the analysis shared below, we are downgrading Sysco's [...]