UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), American Express Company (AXP): The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI)’s Safest Dividends

For long-term investors, what’s more important than current yield is a company’s capacity to keep paying dividends at current or growing levels. Those stocks that can do so make good investments for dividend investors.

Keep your eyes open

Of course, these payout ratios are only as good as the earnings that they’re based on. Just about every company in the market is vulnerable to some combination of unlikely but still possible events that could lead to income drying up and force dividend cuts. In all likelihood, though, these stocks give you a better chance of avoiding that fate than some of the more dangerous dividend stocks in the market.

The article The Dow’s Safest Dividends originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Dan Caplinger.

Fool contributor Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow him on Twitter: @DanCaplinger. The Motley Fool recommends American Express, UnitedHealth Group, and Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) and owns shares of IBM and Walt Disney.

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