Better Dividend Stock: Energy Transfer vs. Enterprise Products Partners

Core Insights - Energy Transfer and Enterprise Products Partners are leading energy midstream companies in the U.S. with attractive income yields of 7.8% and 6.9% respectively, significantly higher than the S&P 500's yield of 1.2% [1] Group 1: Financial Performance - Energy Transfer generated $1.9 billion in cash during Q3, covering its distribution by approximately 1.7 times and retaining over $750 million [4] - Enterprise Products Partners generated $1.8 billion in cash during Q3, covering its distribution by 1.5 times and retaining $635 million [7] Group 2: Growth Outlook - Energy Transfer plans to invest $4.6 billion in growth capital projects this year and an additional $5 billion in 2026, with a significant project being the $5.3 billion Desert Southwest Expansion expected to complete by Q4 2029 [5] - Energy Transfer is also developing various expansion projects, including a large-scale LNG export terminal and oil pipeline expansions, enhancing its growth prospects [6] Group 3: Valuation and Payout - Enterprise Products Partners pays out a higher percentage of its stable cash flow compared to Energy Transfer but has a lower yield due to its higher valuation, trading at about 12 times earnings compared to Energy Transfer's valuation of approximately nine times earnings [9]