Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN) produces beef, chicken, and pork, some of which it sells via its own branded product portfolio. This is the essence of a necessities business, but meat products are commodities, and that means there's inherent volatility in the company's operations.

Right now, there are a lot of negatives surrounding Tyson, and investors are worried about its dividend. It's an issue to watch, but there are three good reasons to believe the dividend will hold up through this industry downturn. Let's review.

In the second quarter of its fiscal 2023, Tyson lost $0.23 per share. It paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. It doesn't take much math skill to see that the dividend wasn't covered by earnings in the quarter. Through the first half of the fiscal year, the company's profit was $0.61 per share, with total dividends paid of $0.96, leading to an unsustainable dividend payout ratio of nearly 160%.

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Source Fool.com