4 Dividend Energy Stocks to Buy in April

Dividends are a direct return on your investment, but not all dividends are created equal. If you are using dividends to supplement Social Security in retirement, you need to focus on companies that have proven they can support their dividend through thick and thin. In the energy sector, rising oil prices will make it easier for riskier companies to pay big dividends.

Dividend investors should err on the side of caution rather than reach for yield in the current environment. If you want direct oil exposure, ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX) are solid options. However, you can gain exposure to the energy sector while minimizing commodity exposure through midstream businesses such as Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD) and Enbridge (NYSE: ENB). Here's why these four reliable dividend payers should be on your short list right now.

Integrated energy giants are the safer oil play

When oil prices are high, oil companies can make a lot of money. When oil prices eventually fall, as they always have historically after price spikes, oil companies will see their results weaken. If you are a long-term dividend investor, you want to own companies that can pay you through the entire cycle. Exxon and Chevron both have more than a quarter-century of annual dividend increases behind them. Exxon's yield is 2.7%, while Chevron's yield is 3.7%.

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Both Exxon and Chevron have businesses that span the entire energy sector, from the upstream (production) to the midstream (pipelines) to the downstream (chemicals and refining). This diversification helps to blunt the impact of the industry's swings. On the topic of diversification, they also have geographically diverse portfolios, so events in one area won't derail the entire business. And they have extremely strong balance sheets, which allow them to take on debt to support their business and dividends when oil prices are weak. Exxon and Chevron are the kinds of dividend-paying energy stocks you can buy and comfortably hold for the long term.

Midstream businesses offer big yields and avoid commodity risk

However, you still have options if you don't really want to take on commodity risk. The midstream is filled with high-yield investments backed by fee-based business models. These are not commodity-driven operations like upstream and downstream businesses are.

Enterprise Products Partners and Enbridge both own energy infrastructure assets, such as pipelines, that transport oil around the world. But they get paid based on the volume of oil being moved, so the price of oil isn't all that important. All in, they generate reliable cash flows to support large dividends whether oil prices are high or low. Enterprise's distribution yield is 5.8%, and Enbridge's dividend yield is 5.3%.

The real proof of their reliability is in the payment history. Enterprise, a master limited partnership, has increased its distribution for 27 years, which is roughly as long as it has been publicly traded. Enbridge's streak is up to 31 years. Also, being focused on North America, both businesses operate far away from the conflict in the Middle East. There's little risk of their businesses being disrupted.

The one problem with each of these high-yielders, however, is that they are slow-growing businesses. The yield will make up a large part of an investor's return over time. That probably won't be an issue for you if you are looking to maximize the income your portfolio generates.

Remember that oil prices will eventually fall

It is easy to be excited about energy stocks when oil prices are high. But that is exactly the time when investors need to tread with caution because the history of the energy sector is very clear: oil prices will eventually fall. Dividend investors need to keep that fact in mind as they look for energy stocks in the current market. Exxon, Chevron, Enterprise, and Enbridge have all proven they can survive periods of weak energy prices while continuing to reliably pay shareholders their dividends.

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