Last week Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) reported another disappointing set of earnings results. The main headline for income investors was unfortunately a 50% dividend cut, which helped send the stock down 9% on the news. Having looked at AB InBev about a month ago, the company seemed to deserve its "Borderline Safe" Dividend Safety Score of 50. A dividend cut appeared possible, but not necessarily probable. Here were our concluding remarks...

Founded in 2011, Physicians Realty (DOC) is a new entrant in the healthcare real estate space that sports a high 5% dividend yield. Attractive at first glance but without much of a track record, just how safe is this REIT's dividend? The good news is that Physicians Realty appears to have a stable source of rent income to pay its generous dividend. Physicians Realty's occupancy rate is a healthy 97%. The company acquires medical office buildings (MBOs) that are located on medical campuses or otherwise affiliated with a hospital. This is prime real estate for medical practices, suggesting the company won't have difficulty finding tenants in the future. Furthermore, due to less government regulation and better reimbursement from insurers, practices [...]

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 things have changed. Owen & Minor's last dividend increase came in at under 1%. Earnings fell 21% in 2017, and the company's stock has lost 62% from its peak in 2016. What's happening to Owens & Minor, and how safe is the company's dividend?

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 CEO of industrial rival Danaher (DHR). In fact, from 2000 to 2014 Danaher's shares rose 500% under his watch. (GE's share price declined more than 50% during the same time period.) However, every major management change comes with its own risks, including potential changes in corporate strategy which is why this news likely heightens the risk of yet another dividend cut at this beleaguered industrial [...]