Utilities Show 13 Of 50 'Safe' Top Dividend Dogs In August

Dividend Dogs Rule
The "dog" moniker was earned by stocks exhibiting three traits: (1) paying reliable, repeating dividends, (2) their prices fell to where (3) yield (dividend/price) grew higher than their peers. Thus, the highest yielding stocks in any collection became known as "dogs."

What Industries In The Utilities Sector Show Up As "Safe"?
Utilities sector industries listing cash margins greater than their announced annual dividends include: Diversified; Electric; Gas; Independent.
Top ten Utilities sector dogs showing the biggest dividend yields by this screen as of August 18 represented three industries: (1) diversified had five stocks; (2) electric included four stocks; (3) gas had one stock.
13 Utilities Have Cash Margins to Cover Dividends

Annual Safety Inspection
A previous article discussed the attributes of 50 Utilities stocks from which these thirteen were sorted. You see below the list that passed the dividend "stress" test. These thirteen Utility dogs report sufficient annual cash flow yield to cover their anticipated annual dividend yield. The margin of excess is shown in the next to the last column on the right.
Financial guarantees however are easily over-ruled by a cranky board of directors or company policy canceling or varying the payout of dividends to shareholders. For example, National Grid (NYSE: NGG) on the list below pays a variable semi-annual dividend in one larger payment... Read more