How Safe Is Medtronic's Dividend?

Advances in medicine have come at a fast and furious pace in recent decades. New pharmaceuticals and biotechnology solutions have made patients healthier, and medical devices like the ones that Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) specializes in making have improved the standard of care for patients across the world. Along the way, Medtronic shareholders have also reaped the rewards of their efforts, with share-price appreciation and steadily rising dividends.

Yet the need to come out with new technology can be costly, even for a company of Medtronic's size. The hastening pace of innovation has some nervous about whether Medtronic will need to slow down its past dividend growth rates. Below, we'll look more closely at Medtronic to see whether investors can rely on its quarterly payout going forward.

Current Quarterly Dividend Per Share

Source: Fool.com