Core Viewpoint - Energy infrastructure companies are increasingly investing in natural gas storage assets, recognizing their critical role in balancing supply and demand, which is expected to enhance dividend growth for these companies [1][2][13]. Group 1: Investment Activity - Leading infrastructure operators have been actively acquiring gas storage assets, which are often overlooked by investors, indicating a growing recognition of their value [2][3]. - Brookfield Infrastructure has invested a total of $310 million in North American gas storage assets over the past decade, taking a contrarian approach during market lows [3][4]. - Enbridge acquired two gas storage assets for a total of $628 million, enhancing its cash flow and supporting LNG export facilities [7][9]. - Williams made a significant acquisition of a gas storage portfolio for nearly $2 billion, integrating it into its pipeline network to support power and LNG markets [11]. Group 2: Financial Performance - Brookfield's gas storage business has achieved over 20% compound annual growth in funds from operations (FFO) over the last five years, generating over $240 million in annual EBITDA [4][5]. - Enbridge's acquisitions are expected to provide stable, growing cash flow, supporting its high-yielding dividend, which has been increased for nearly 30 consecutive years [9]. - Williams anticipates significant earnings growth from its new gas storage assets, contributing to a dividend increase of over 6% earlier this year, with a forward yield above 4.5% [12]. Group 3: Future Growth Potential - Brookfield sees opportunities for its gas storage assets to support renewable natural gas and hydrogen, indicating a positive outlook for future growth [5][6]. - The ongoing demand for natural gas storage is expected to provide Brookfield, Enbridge, and Williams with growing cash flow, enhancing their ability to increase dividends [13].

Group 1: Core Insights - Alphabet has initiated dividend payments for the first time, joining other tech giants like Salesforce and Meta Platforms [1] - The company has a market capitalization exceeding $2 trillion, enabling it to pay dividends [1] - Alphabet's free cash flow (FCF) in Q1 was $16.8 billion, significantly higher than IBM's $1.9 billion for the same period [2] Group 2: Financial Performance - Alphabet's total revenue in Q1 was $80.5 billion, with advertising sales contributing $61.7 billion [2] - YouTube generated $8.1 billion in advertising revenue in Q1, up from $6.7 billion the previous year [4] - Google Cloud sales reached $9.6 billion in Q1, an increase from $7.5 billion in 2023 [4] Group 3: Dividend Considerations - Alphabet's dividend is set at $0.20 per share, yielding 0.5%, which is lower than IBM's yield of 3.8% [5] - The company plans to pay quarterly cash dividends but lacks a historical track record for dividend increases [5] - Alphabet's competitive strength in the cloud market is notable, holding an 11% market share compared to IBM's 2% [6] Group 4: Growth Potential - Alphabet is investing in artificial intelligence, integrating it into its search engine and YouTube [6] - The company's strong financials, FCF generation, and rising revenue position it as an excellent growth stock despite its lower dividend yield [6]

Parkev Tatevosian, CFA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Parkev Tatevosian is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through his link, he will earn some extra money that supports his channel. His opinions remain his own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool. ...

Realty Income is a great company, but it is a tortoise. You might want to consider Agree Realty and W.P. Carey instead.It would probably be a mistake to simply forget about net-lease giant Realty Income (O -0.25%). It is a well-run company, but it poses some problems for investors when you dig into the story a bit. For those looking for a bit more growth, competitors Agree Realty (ADC 0.53%) and W.P. Carey (WPC -0.96%) might be more attractive.I happily own Realty IncomeThere's nothing inherently wrong with ...

The gold rush for obesity medications just got a bit more intense.With some promising clinical trial results in hand and more that could be on the way relatively soon, Amgen's (AMGN -0.21%) latest attempt to develop a therapy for obesity is looking like it could be a contender for the crown that's currently jointly held by the likes of Eli Lilly (LLY -0.13%) and Novo Nordisk (NVO 0.35%). Though it won't be competing with those two heavyweights directly until it finishes the clinical trials process, which co ...

Investing in these REITs could be your ticket to lasting passive income.Investing in real estate is widely considered to be an excellent way to generate passive income. There are many ways to do it, even for those who don't have much money to start. One of the easiest is to invest in a real estate investment trust (REIT). These companies own income-producing real estate and pay a portion of that income to investors via dividends, making them extremely passive real estate investments. REITs are very low-cost ...

Target lost market share in the quarter as consumers looked for lower-priced items.Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian reviews Target's (TGT 0.57%) latest quarterly earnings and answers questions about whether it is an excellent investment for passive income investors.*Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of May 23, 2024. The video was published on May 24, 2024. ...

I bought this bank stock during the initial COVID-19 crash, and I'm sure glad I did.Wells Fargo (WFC 0.89%) was one of the best opportunistic investments I've ever made. I bought the stock in mid-2020 when the COVID-19 lockdowns were still going on. At the time, there was tremendous economic uncertainty, and as the most consumer-focused of the big banks, Wells Fargo became especially volatile. Plus, at this point, the bank's "fake accounts" and other scandals were still fresh in investors' minds.To be sure, ...

Core Insights - AI stocks have gained significant traction in the stock market following the launch of ChatGPT, benefiting investors including billionaire hedge fund managers [1] Group 1: Microsoft - Microsoft has become a favored choice among AI investors due to its partnership with OpenAI, having invested approximately $13 billion [2] - The company has integrated OpenAI's technology into various products, leading to strong financial performance in the first quarter [2] - Notable investors such as Stanley Druckenmiller, Steven Cohen, and Ray Dalio have increased their stakes in Microsoft, with Cohen doubling his investment by adding 566,749 shares [3] Group 2: Alphabet - Alphabet has positioned itself as a key competitor to Microsoft in the AI space, launching its own AI chatbot, Bard, and later replacing it with Gemini [4] - The company has a long history of AI investment, acquiring DeepMind nearly a decade ago, and has recently adapted its AI strategy in response to market pressures [4] - Significant purchases of Alphabet stock in the first quarter were made by investors like Chris Hohn, Paul Tudor Jones, and Jeremy Grantham, with Grantham's stake now exceeding $1 billion [5] Group 3: Market Outlook - Given their substantial market presence and leadership in technology, Microsoft and Alphabet are expected to continue attracting investments from top investors and remain leading AI stocks [6]

These companies have manageable dividend expenses and are generating near-record earnings.Passive income investors dream of finding companies that can pay reliable and growing dividends while also beating the market. A company must grow its earnings to distribute more money to shareholders over time. To grow earnings, the business has to be in good financial shape and navigate economic cycles to raise its dividend even if earnings growth languishes.WM (WM -0.33%), ExxonMobil (XOM -0.08%), and Owens Corning ...