With persistent inflationary pressures, the gradual waning of the AI-driven stock market frenzy, and rising economic uncertainty, an increasing number of investors are shifting away from expensive growth stocks and toward companies with durable moats that can be held for the long term.
Businesses with predictable cash flows, solid business models, and strong dividend records can be found across various industries. Below are two high-dividend stocks selected from the energy and utilities sectors that are worth holding for the next ten years.
Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) is one of the strongest midstream energy companies in North America. Few rivals can match its integrated network of pipelines, storage, and export distribution.
Among pipeline stocks, Enterprise Products Partners also offers a dividend that is hard to compare. This limited partnership has raised its distribution for 27 consecutive years. Its current forward distribution yield is approximately 5.6%, which is below its recent average due to a significant increase in its unit price.
The company is largely insulated from inflation, as about 90% of its long-term contracts include price adjustment clauses designed to offset inflation. Approximately 98% of its debt carries fixed interest rates. Thanks to its fee-based revenue model, this midstream energy leader also need not worry about oil and gas price volatility impacting its operations. Whether the energy sector is in a boom or a downturn, Enterprise generates stable and growing cash flow.
Several long-term trends should benefit Enterprise Products Partners, including the booming growth of U.S. liquefied natural gas exports and rising domestic natural gas demand driven by powering artificial intelligence data centers. This stock offers investors stability, income, and steady growth over the next decade.
Utility stocks typically perform well during economic downturns and market volatility, for a simple reason: electricity demand tends to be quite stable. Utility stocks were often viewed as boring by many investors in the past, but that has changed—at least when it comes to Evergy (EVRG).
Evergy provides electricity to approximately 1.7 million customers in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. It has no competitors within its service area. About half of the company’s electricity comes from clean energy sources, including nuclear, wind, and solar power.
Artificial intelligence is precisely the main reason Evergy is no longer a boring utility stock. Kansas and Missouri offer financial incentives to companies building data centers, making the region a hotspot for AI infrastructure expansion. Evergy signed agreements for four data center projects in February 2026 and expects to close at least one more deal later this year. The company projects that these projects, along with other large load customers, “will drive significant load growth from 2020 and beyond.”
Driven by AI-related demand, Evergy expects adjusted earnings per share to grow at an annual rate exceeding 8% starting in 2028. The company also offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.4% and has increased its dividend for 23 consecutive years.
