These oil dividends still look secure

Article Excerpt

Oil prices dropped earlier this year in part because of a slowing Chinese economy. While they have recently started to climb, they remain down considerably from the spike following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Regardless, the dividends of these two major producers look secure thanks to their high-quality properties. CHEVRON CORP. $159 is a buy. The company (New York symbol CVX; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $302.1 billion; Dividend yield: 3.8%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.chevron.com) is the second-largest integrated oil producer in the U.S. by revenue, after ExxonMobil (New York symbol XOM). With the March 2023 payment, Chevron raised its quarterly dividend by 6.3%. Investors now receive $1.51 a share instead of $1.42 for an annual rate of $6.04 yielding 3.8%. With this increase, Chevron has now lifted its annual dividend each of the last 36 years. Revenue in the quarter ended June 30, 2023, fell by 30.2%, to $48.90 billion from $68.76 billion a year earlier. Lower oil…