How Safe Is Wal-Mart (WMT) Dividend?

A steadily growing dividend is nice to have as part of any stock investment. But at the very least, income investors want to feel confident that their payout isn't at risk of being suspended or sharply reduced. As GE owners learned recently, any dividend -- even one that's paid by one of the biggest businesses on the market -- could fall victim to a surprise cut.

Below, we'll test the dividend strength of another massive business, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), and look at why shareholders have no reason to fear a cut like that anytime soon.

The retailing titan has raised its dividend in each of the last 44 years. No, that's not the longest streak in the industry. Lowe's, for one, boasts a 56-year record and Target has hiked its payout 50 consecutive times.

Source: Fool.com