9 Safe Dividend Stocks With Low Payout Ratios

9 Safe Dividend Stocks With Low Payout Ratios

Analysts love these dividend stocks.

When interest rates are low, dividend stocks can be an excellent source of income for investors. Unfortunately, a stock's dividend is only as safe as the company paying it. When a company runs into financial trouble, the dividend is often the first thing on the chopping block. One quick way to assess a stock's dividend reliability is by looking at its payout ratio, which is the percentage of a company's profits that is committed to dividends. Typically, the lower the payout ratio, the safer the dividend. Here are nine dividend stocks to buy with payout ratios less than 60%, according to financial services company Morningstar.

Atmos Energy Corp. (ticker: ATO)