I Wouldn't Touch This 6.3%-Yielding Dividend Stock Right Now, Even Though Everyone Else Is Buying It.

If you are looking for reliable high yields in the energy sector, Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) is likely to be high up on the list of options. And Wall Street really likes the stock, with 19 of the 21 analysts covering it rating it a buy or strong buy. And yet, I just can't get myself to buy it, instead owning lower-yielding Enbridge (NYSE: ENB). Here's why Energy Transfer's 6.3% yield, despite distribution coverage of 2.2x, isn't enough to get me to buy it.

Enbridge versus Energy Transfer

Before getting to Energy Transfer, I want to highlight some facts about Enbridge, the North American pipeline giant I actually bought. For starters, Enbridge's yield is 5.8%, roughly half a percentage point lower. That's a big difference, as buying Energy Transfer would increase my income stream by nearly 9%.

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I can totally understand where a dividend investor would buy Energy Transfer for the added yield. But there's a big difference when you consider dividend history. Enbridge has increased its dividend annually for 31 consecutive years. Energy Transfer cut its distribution in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, right when most investors would probably have preferred dividend consistency. To Energy Transfer's credit, it lived up to its promise at the time to reduce leverage and return to distribution growth. In fact, the distribution is now above its level prior to the cut. And the cut was probably the right decision to make for the business.

But that distribution cut was a hit for unitholders. And it comes after another questionable situation back during the 1996 energy market downturn. At that point, Energy Transfer agreed to buy peer Williams (NYSE: WMB), but got cold feet. In an effort to scuttle the deal, Energy Transfer issued convertibles that appeared to protect insiders from a dividend cut, if one were made. The Williams deal was canceled, and the convertibles never became an issue, but it raised material trust issues for me.

I'm erring on the side of caution with Enbridge

Enbridge has a better dividend history, and it doesn't have anything like the Williams debacle in its past. I'm more than happy to accept a lower yield if it means I don't have to constantly worry that management isn't putting me, the shareholder, first. That said, Energy Transfer has changed a lot in recent years, so I can see where more trusting investors would be willing to give the high-yield pipeline operator a second chance. I'm just not that person.

Reuben Gregg Brewer has positions in Enbridge. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Enbridge. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.