Shares of LyondellBasell (LYB) have slumped nearly 30% since late August, performing much worse than the S&P 500's loss of 14%. The stock's dividend yield now sits near 5%, its highest level since Lyondell began paying dividends in 2011. With analysts projecting a double-digit earnings decline in the year ahead, the price of oil plunging again, and management open to making a large acquisition, let's take a closer look at Lyondell's dividend safety.

Altria's (MO) share price has slumped over 30% this year, making it one of the worst in history for the cigarette maker's shareholders. Altria's dividend yield now sits at 6.7%, its highest level since the Financial Crisis. A number of factors are behind Altria's rough year, including various negative regulatory announcements from the FDA, slightly larger volume declines in cigarettes, and two market corrections. However, now Altria appears to be sliding due to the company's recently announced $14.6 billion investments into cannabis company Cronos (CRON) and privately held vaping giant Juul Labs.

Compass Minerals (CMP) has been in business for more than 170 years and has increased its dividend each year since it began making payouts in 2004. Despite its appealing long-term track record, and the recession-resistant nature of its salt and fertilizer businesses, CMP's stock price has slumped over 50% since reaching an all-time high in 2014. As a result, the stock's dividend yield sits near 7%, its highest ever level. Management has kept the dividend frozen since March 2017, and many investors are wondering if a big cut could be around the corner. Compass Minerals has had an "Unsafe" Dividend Safety Score for more than a year, so let's take a closer look at the factors weighing on the stock [...]

Shares of regulated utility PPL (PPL) slumped nearly 7% on Tuesday following a proposal made by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), the United Kingdom's energy regulator. In recent years PPL has generated around half of its earnings from the four electricity distribution networks it operates in the U.K. As we discussed in our June 2018 note here (worth reading for a full background of the situation), Ofgem sets price controls that cap the revenue PPL can recover from its investments.