The nation's largest self-storage REIT, Public Storage, has kept its dividend frozen since 2017 despite having the balance sheet and cash flow to support increasing payouts.Given Public Storage's strong financial health, many investors question why dividend growth has remained elusive in recent years – especially when considering REITs are required to distribute at least 90% of taxable income to shareholders.After all, 2021 was a banner year with same store revenue up 11% as more consumers decluttered their living spaces and became self-storage customers. With cash flow rising at its fastest pace in years, Public Storage's payout ratio dropped to historic lows below 70%.

Despite a broad economic recovery, the struggles of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) amplified by the pandemic continue to loom large.With SNFs accounting for nearly 80% of Omega's portfolio, not much has improved since our note last August. Dividend coverage remains stretched as SNF operators, the REITs tenants, continue to struggle with reduced occupancy rates and labor issues. As such, we are reaffirming Omega's Unsafe Dividend Safety Score.When Covid became a national concern, occupancy at Omega's properties fell from 84% to a low of 72% in January 2021 and has since only modestly improved to 75%. Further problematic is that occupancy rates before the pandemic were already too low, thanks to an oversupply of SNFs that kept many operators struggling to turn a profit.

Intel on February 17 hosted an analyst day to provide more details on its turnaround strategy, which seeks to restore the chip maker's technological leadership position while also building a foundry business to manufacture semiconductors for others. Expanding existing production and constructing new fabs, or chip factories, will require substantial capital investment. For example, Intel expects to spend $40 billion to build four fabs in Arizona and Ohio. Billions more will be spent on equipping current sites with advanced manufacturing technologies. In total, Intel's capital expenditures over the next few years are projected to average around $27 billion annually, or nearly double the firm's historical norm. R&D spending will jump, too. During this period of heavy investment, free cash flow will evaporate. [...]

While many energy stocks have experienced a strong recovery from pandemic lows, midstream providers have struggled to keep up. This underperformance has even included industry leaders like Magellan, which trades with an attractive dividend yield of over 8%.The market's failure to reward Magellan triggers questions about what risks have kept hesitant investors at bay.To be sure, some quality midstream operators are trading at higher valuations and with lower and more reasonable dividend yields. However, Magellan boasts one of the industry's highest credit ratings (BBB+) and is coming off what proved to be a good year for the MLP.Refined transportation volumes, which drive about 70% of the MLP's income and represent fuels such as gasoline, were up 14% in 2021 – [...]