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At WEF 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, there has been a notable shift from “climate change” shibboleths. Combined with subservience to American interests and self-destructive net zero agenda, it is clear to anyone that the EU is the weakest bloc on the global stage.

For long-term investors, this erosion of industrial and energy sovereignty reinforces the case for dividend stocks underpinned by hard assets and hard demand. In particular, we take a look at energy stocks with contractual and recurring cash flows, further bolstered by ample growth prospects ahead.

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE: EPD) – 6.69% Dividend Yield

There are few investing cases as clearcut as EPD for those who noticed how deeply subjugated Europe is to American interests. In early January’s energy stock roundup, we again reminded that the U.S. will dominate liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply growth after terminating Europe’s Nord Stream pipelines.

Enterprise Products Partners is perfectly positioned to facilitate US LNG exports, as the U.S. became the top exporter in 2023. The company is the primary operator of midstream infrastructure, such as 50,000 miles of pipelines and 27 fractionators, for natural gas liquids (NGLs).

As a reminder, both LNG and NGL come from raw natural gas pulled from the ground, with LNG being primarily methane cooled to cryogenic temperatures for long-distance ocean transport. As of Q3, EPD hydrocarbon stack consists of 56% NGL, 16% crude oil, 14% petrochemicals and 14% natural gas.

According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), US LNG export share to the EU increased to 58% in 2025, while Russian LNG share dropped from 51% in 2019 to 11% in Q2 2025. According to the EIA, the US became one of top natural gas exporters in the world, hitting a record high in 2022 (the year of Nord Stream bombings).

In the latest fall 2025 investor update, EPD projects further increase in natural gas demand, both domestically (AI buildup) and internationally. On the global stage, the company has pointed its strategic competitive advantage:

“Low-cost U.S. feedstock advantage gives U.S. petrochemicals a significant profitability edge over all of Asia and Europe; even with transport costs, U.S. ethane remains preferred ethylene feedstock globally.”

In other words, the U.S. has more abundant raw materials to make petrochemicals – referred to as “feedstock” advantage. More importantly, a midstream company like EPD is largely resistant to commodity price volatility as it runs a fee-based business model from transporting, storing and exporting hydrocarbons.

This is why EPD managed to have 27 years of distribution growth, returning on average 12% over the last 10 years. During that period, EPD returned $61 billion to shareholders via buybacks and dividends.

Over a year, EPD stock lost 1.73% value. Currently priced at $33.05, it is below the average EPD price target of $35.61 and slightly above the bottom of $31 per share. In January, EPD declared a $0.55 dividend payout for Q4 2025 ($2.20 annually), which is 2.8% higher from the year-ago quarter.

Kinetik Holdings Inc. (NYSE: KNTK) – 8.19% Dividend Yield

Continuing with the theme of energy infrastructure, Kinetik Holdings is another pure-play midstream energy operator. The company manages the cogs needed to move extracted oil and gas mainly from the Delaware Basin (within Permian Basin) and deliver them to downstream markets where they are refined and exported.

Just like EPD, Kinetik runs a fixed, fee-based business model with long-term contracts, significantly insulating it from oil price volatility. Furthermore, the company runs an executive hedging program to lock in prices to protect its future cash flows.

In November’s investor deck, Kinetik outlined its strong fundamentals that we previously covered as well. Primarily, the data center buildup will require nearly double energy demand by 2025, with 75GW growth by 2030. Even with nuclear unleashed (belatedly), natural gas – as 25% of global electricity generation – will be integral.

Between 2024 and 2030, Kinetik expects 5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), with LNG exports expected to more than double by 2030.

To that end, Kinetik is in the process of adding over 5.5 Bcfpd (billion cubic feet per day) processing capacity in the next two years, mainly coming from the Delaware Basin at 60%. By Q2 2026, Kinetik estimates the completion of its high-pressure ECCC pipeline throughout New Mexico.

With the completion of the Kings Landing project, the company sees even greater sour gas opportunity. Although sour gas, containing high levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), typically represents an operational obstacle in oilfields, it is yielding premium service fees to process it, as well as efficient recovery of NGLs.

It is also notable that at the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering, the “climate change” narrative is on the back foot in favor of AI. We previously explained why it is important to erect an algorithmic layer on top of society from a governance perspective, regardless of “AI bubble” concerns.

In this light, Kinetik’s proximity to the Permian is more secure as “carbon-emissions” orthodoxy becomes delegated to weak Europe. And even with continued commitment to renewables, it will remain the case they cannot meet baseload requirements at scale, specifically to assure uninterrupted power flow for data centers.

As of September 30, 2025, Kinetik holds $178.6 million short-term debt and $3.9 billion long-term debt against adjusted EBITDA of $735.6 million. At present, the company runs a $500 million buyback and dividend program. Last week, Kinetik increased its quarterly cash dividend to $0.81 per share, or $3.24 annually, which is 4% higher from the year-ago quarter.

At the present price level of $39.60, KNTK stock is aligned with the bottom price target of $40, while the average KNTK price target is $45.80 per share.

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