How Safe Is Walgreens Boots Alliance's Dividend?

The drugstore industry saw big changes in 2017, with Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA) finally agreeing to acquire a massive portion of Rite Aid's (NYSE: RAD) store network. Dividend investors might have been nervous about the cost of such a big asset purchase, but the potential growth from expanding its network could dwarf the roughly $4.38 billion price tag that Walgreens will have to pay under its agreement with its rival drugstore chain.

Yet Walgreens has been able to weather changing industry conditions before, and a long history of dividend payments and growth to shareholders emphasizes the commitment that Walgreens has to income investors. Let's take a closer look at Walgreens and whether its dividend remains safe even after its big acquisition.

Current Quarterly Dividend Per Share

Source: Fool.com