One of the best parts about dividend investing is that most companies pay their dividends based on the strength of their business results, not the current whims of the market. In times like these, when share prices have been trending downward, that cash looks far more attractive than it did when stocks were soaring.

Of course, as nice as they are, dividends are never guaranteed payments. If a rough economy means a company isn't generating cash, that dividend could get cut, which would be likely to hurt its share price even more. So when hunting for dividend payers, it's important to look for signs that a company can keep making those payments to its shareholders.

With that in mind, three Motley Fool contributors went searching for companies whose dividends look safe right now. They came up with Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Federal Realty Trust (NYSE: FRT). and Genuine Parts (NYSE: GPC). Read on to find out why, and then decide for yourself whether their dividends really do look safe enough to justify buying their shares.

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Source Fool.com