Tobacco company Altria Group (NYSE: MO) has been a solid dividend stock for decades. It has not only paid a dividend for years, but it has also been raising its payouts regularly, giving investors plenty of incentive to buy and hold. Altria has been an effective choice for income investors with a long-term strategy.

But with sales declining and Altria facing an uncertain path ahead, investors might have growing concerns about the stock and the safety of its dividend. Is this an income stock you can reliably hold in your portfolio, or could a cut be coming to the dividend?

If a business isn't growing and its payout ratio is high, that could be a recipe for disaster for a dividend stock, especially when the company also looks to raise its payout on a regular basis. At some point, the dividend might become unsustainable, forcing the company to either slow down or stop its rate increases entirely, or potentially make a more drastic move such as cutting or suspending its payout.

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Source Fool.com