<div id="readability-page-1"><div> <h2>Key Points</h2><ul><li>Energy Transfer owns and holds an interest in multiple major midstream energy infrastructure assets, and remains well positioned to sustain further distribution growth.</li><li>Hess Midstream is utilizing both cash distributions and share repurchases to return capital to shareholders. </li><li>MPLX offers a high distribution yield, and has a strong track record of high distribution growth.</li><li>10 stocks we like better than Energy Transfer ›</li></ul>As the price of oil rises, investors are returning to energy stocks in a big way. There are many great opportunities among regular oil stocks and natural gas stocks. However, midstream plays like pipeline stocks are a strong choice as well, especially for a long-term investment horizon.Revenue and earnings for pipeline stocks are less volatile than those for exploration and production (E&amp;P) or refining and marketing stocks. At the same time, they are benefiting from long-term growth tailwinds, such as rising demand for natural gas amid the artificial intelligence (AI) data center boom.Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an &#34;Indispensable Monopoly&#34; providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »In addition to steady, growing bottom lines, pipeline stocks, in particular those that are structured as master limited partnerships (MLPs), pay out almost all of their income in the form of distributions. This gives these stocks high yields, making them attractive to income investors.Among the scores of high-yield (5% or higher forward dividend yield) pipeline stocks, the following three stand out as strong choices in today's market: Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET), Hess Midstream (NYSE: HESM), and MPLX (NYSE: MPLX).<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg1ODc4My9nZXR0eWltYWdlcy0xMzYyMTU0ODU0LTEyMDB4ODAwLTViMmRmNzkuanBnJnc9NzAw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="700" height="466" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg1ODc4My9nZXR0eWltYWdlcy0xMzYyMTU0ODU0LTEyMDB4ODAwLTViMmRmNzkuanBnJnc9NzAw"/>Image source: Getty Images. <h2>Energy Transfer is poised to profit from AI data center boom</h2>Since its founding 30 years ago, Energy Transfer has grown organically and through acquisitions to become one of America's largest midstream energy companies. The MLP owns or has an interest in over 140,000 square miles of midstream energy infrastructure, including 36.4% ownership of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a 50% interest in the Florida Gas Transmission pipeline, as well as extensive holdings within the Permian Basin and other top U.S. oil and gas exploration regions.Currently, annual distributions from Energy Transfer give shares a forward yield of 7.3%. The MLP has raised payouts for five years straight after temporarily decreasing them during the pandemic. Despite this blip in its distribution track record, much suggests future payouts will steadily increase over time. For instance, over the past year, distributions have increased by around 3.1%.Another factor pointing to higher future payouts is Energy Transfer's Hugh Brinson Pipeline, set to open this year. The 442-mile project, connecting oil fields in West Texas to existing pipeline infrastructure in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, stands to provide natural gas not just to electric utilities but also directly to AI data centers as well. As management noted during the latest quarterlyearnings conference call projects like this will help the MLP achieve its long-term distribution growth target of 3% to 5%.<h2>Hess Midstream ranks highly in terms of return on capital</h2>Hess Midstream owns pipeline and other midstream assets in the Williston Basin shale oil exploration area of North Dakota. This MLP went public in 2017, and since its IPO, it has never cut its distribution. That's impressive, but that's not the sole reason why you consider it a buy. Currently, shares have a forward distribution yield of around 7.9%.Hess Midstream has consistently increased its payouts over the past nine years. In more recent years, annual distribution growth has been at or near double-digit percentage levels. Yes, based on the latest commentary from management, Hess is only targeting 5% annual distribution growth through 2028.However, the MLP is returning capital to shareholders in another way besides cash distributions. Recently, Hess Midstream has regularly engaged in share repurchases. In the long term, share repurchases help to increase the underlying per-share value of a stock. They also increase the amount of per-share distributions MLPs can make over time.<h2>MPLX is a high-yielding stock with a strong distribution growth track record</h2>Formed in 2012 by Marathon Petroleum, MPLX owns and operates a wide variety of midstream energy assets. Much like Energy Transfer, this MLP has exposure to many of America's largest energy-producing regions, including the Permian Basin and the Marcellus Shale.MPLX also has a long track record of distribution growth. Currently, MPLX has 10 consecutive years of distribution growth under its belt. With a forward distribution yield of 7.4%, distribution growth has averaged 11.6% annually over the past decade. Over the past year, distribution growth has been 12.5%.RBC analyst Elvira Scotto projects that MPLX's anticipated growth for 2026 and 2027 leaves the MLP positioned to continue raising distributions by 12.5% over each of the next two years.<h2>Should you buy stock in Energy Transfer right now?</h2> Before you buy stock in Energy Transfer, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Energy Transfer wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $511,735!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,140,464!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 946% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&amp;P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of March 13, 2026. Thomas Niel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. </div></div>

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Three high-yield pipeline stocks recommended for long-term investment are Energy Transfer (ET), Hess Midstream (HESM), and MPLX (MPLX). Energy Transfer, with a 7.3% yield, is set to benefit from the AI data center boom and has a strong distribution growth target. Hess Midstream offers a 7.9% yield and has consistently increased payouts, while also engaging in share repurchases. MPLX boasts a 7.4% yield and a decade of distribution growth, with projections for continued increases. These stocks are attractive for income investors amid rising oil prices.

3 High-Yield Pipeline Stocks to Buy Now and Hold Forever