The broader markets have mostly moved on from the coronavirus stock market crash, but many passive income investments are still off considerably from their pre-pandemic highs. And that’s despite the brighter forward-looking trajectory, with more vaccine jabs being administered by the day.
Some passive income investments out there still sport dividend (or distribution) yields that are still on the higher end of the historical range. And as outlooks look to improve, so too does the security of their payouts.
Without further ado, let’s have a closer look at two top names with relatively safe yields of at least 7%. Consider Enbridge (TSX: ENB)(NYSE: ENB) and Inovalis REIT (TSX: INO.UN), which sport yields of 7.2% and 8.4%, respectively.
Enbridge: A pipeline king running through hurdles
Enbridge is a pipeline kingpin and former dividend darling that’s been under pressure for years now. Regulatory roadblocks, political pressures, and other high hurdles keep popping up, adding to the volatility in a choppy high-beta stock that’s already pretty tough to stomach for many older passive income investors.
The dispute with Michigan over its Line 5 pipeline is the latest source of stress for investors. As expected, Enbridge is defying orders and is continuing to operate as planned. Investors have mostly shrugged off the dispute, with the stock holding its own in the days leading up to and past the deadline put forth by U.S. regulators.
Political pressures have become the norm for Enbridge shareholders. The stock has already taken an uppercut to the chin, and the dividend yield has swollen in accordance. Despite the regulatory overhangs, Enbridge still seems very confident with its forward-looking outlook. At least confident enough to keep the dividend hikes coming for investors.
Although the rally off those November 2020 lows is losing steam, I’d still look to average into a position over time, as Enbridge is a great name that can fuel any prudent passive income portfolio. The payout may be stretched, and there will always be regulatory and political risks, but I think they’re baked in. Such pressures like those put forth by Michigan will probably not be as great a source of volatility with Enbridge stock trading at these depths.
Inovalis REIT: A big passive income
Inovalis REIT is one of my favourite passive income investments, not just because it tends to command a yield well north of the 8% mark, but also because it’s a great outlet to bet on the French and German office markets. The REIT may seem like a value trap with a siren song of distribution, but it’s really not. Rather, it’s one of few REITs that has a ridiculously high yield by design. The distribution is pretty well supported by funds from operations (FFOs) and is a prudent buy for those bullish on European office real estate.
There is a catch, though. Inovalis doesn’t tend to reward its long-term shareholders with much in the way of capital gains. Unless you load up on the name during a market-wide meltdown, you probably won’t get much in the way of volatility.
Last year, when shares fell off a cliff, I urged investors to load up, as the sell-off was overblown, allowing investors a brief opportunity to lock in a high double-digit yield alongside quick and outsized capital gains. The REIT is just a few percentage points away from its high, and the yield is back to normalized levels, so the “steal” of a deal is gone. Still, if passive income is what you seek, I’m not against initiating a position at $9 and change.
