Dividend-paying stocks tend to be lower-risk investments compared to non-payers. They typically produce more than enough cash to fund their growth, leaving them with excess to return to shareholders via dividends.
However, some dividend stocks are less risky than others. Black Hills (BKH 0.05%), Kinder Morgan (KMI 0.26%), and American States Water (AWR -0.65%) stand out to three Fool.com contributing analysts for their lower risk profiles. As a result, they can turn $1,000 into durable streams of dividend income.
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Black Hills is a boring, high-yield regulated utility
Reuben Gregg Brewer (Black Hills): From a business perspective, the ultimate achievement is a monopoly. This is such a powerful industry position that the government attempts to prevent monopolies from existing...with a few exceptions.
One exception is the utility sector, as building two electric grids in one region would be prohibitively difficult. That's why the government regulates utilities like Black Hills, which has a monopoly on natural gas distribution and electricity in the areas it serves in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
There are both positive and negative aspects to being a regulated utility. One negative is that the government dictates Black Hill's rates and capital investment plans. Regulators try to strike a balance between reward, reliability, and customer costs, leading to slow and steady growth for utilities like Black Hills. That's a positive, as regulator-approved spending generally occurs regardless of what's going on in the economy or on Wall Street. Investors buying Black Hills are, effectively, buying into a fairly reliable business through the economic cycle.
In the case of Black Hills, its customer base is growing around twice as quickly as the broader U.S. population. There's a good reason to believe that more regulator-approved growth lies ahead. Looking backward, meanwhile, investors have benefited from a regularly increasing dividend payment. At this point, Black Hills is one of the few utilities to have achieved Dividend King status, with over five decades of annual hikes.
Given the company's expectation of 4% to 6% earnings growth for the foreseeable future, meanwhile, it seems like the dividend streak will continue. Add in an above industry-average yield of 4.8% and you can see why this low-risk dividend stock might be a great buy today. A $1,000 investment will net you around 17 shares.
A very bankable income stream
Matt DiLallo (Kinder Morgan): Kinder Morgan operates one of the country's largest energy infrastructure platforms. Its pipelines, processing plants, terminals, and other midstream energy assets generate lots of very stable cash flow. Take-or-pay contracts, which entitle the company to payment regardless of volume, back 64% of the company's annual cash flows.
On top of that, Kinder Morgan has hedging contracts that lock in an additional 5% of its cash flows. Meanwhile, another 26% of its cash flows are fee-based, which provides it with a fixed fee based on volumes (most of which tend to be very stable). That leaves only about 5% of its annual earnings exposed to the ups and downs of commodity prices.
The company's highly contracted and predictable cash flows provide a rock-solid foundation for its more than 4% yielding dividend. The company has high visibility in its cash flow, which it expects will grow by 5% to $5.9 billion this year. That's more than enough to cover its expected $2.6 billion dividend outlay.
It's also plenty to fund its entire capital spending level for this year, with room to spare ($150 million in excess free cash flow). That surplus cash will enhance the company's already strong financial flexibility. Kinder Morgan has an investment-grade balance sheet backed by a conservative leverage ratio.
The midstream giant currently has $8.8 billion of growth capital projects underway. Those projects, predominantly natural gas pipelines ($8 billion), will enter commercial service through 2030. As they do, they'll add to the company's stable sources of cash flow. That should give Kinder Morgan more fuel to increase its dividend. The pipeline giant has raised its payout for eight straight years. With a 4% dividend yield, a $1,000 investment would generate about $40 (and growing) of dividend income each year.
70 years of dividend increases
Neha Chamaria (American States Water): Given the uncertain times we are in right now, adding stocks that can earn you some reliable extra income is a smart move. Even better, a defensive, low-risk dividend stock like American States Water should send bigger dividend checks your way every year.
American States Water is one of the largest water utilities in the U.S., serving 1 million consumers across nine states. The company also owns an electric utility and provides water and wastewater services to 12 military bases under 50-year contracts. As a regulated utility, American States Water generates stable cash flows, which is why it has been able to pay a dividend every year since 1931 and has raised it for 70 consecutive years. That incredible dividend streak makes American States Water the top Dividend King, with the longest streak of dividend increases.
After growing its dividend by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.8% over the past five years, American States expects the trend to continue and is aiming to increase its dividend by a CAGR of over 7% in the long term. Management believes there's ample room for dividends to grow, given the company's earnings growth prospects backed by planned capital expenditures.
All that makes American States Water one of the safest and most reliable dividend stocks out there. The dividend growth potential is the cherry on top, making this 2.4%-yielding stock an incredible buy now.
