If you're seeking passive income, you need to think about investing in a slightly different way. Dividends become more important, for sure, but so does a company's ability to keep paying that dividend through thick and thin. On that score, energy giants ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and (NYSE: CVX) have proven they are both buy-and-hold stocks for dividend investors.

Exxon's dividend yield is around 3.2% today. Chevron's is roughly 3.9%. Looking purely at yield, Chevron is probably the more attractive of the two integrated energy giants right now. Exxon has increased its dividend annually for 42 consecutive years, while Chevron has increased its dividend annually for 37 years running. Both are very respectable streaks and prove that each of these companies clearly cares about returning value to investors via dividends.

These streaks are doubly impressive when you consider that Exxon and Chevron both operate in the energy sector, which is known for being highly volatile. Indeed, oil and natural gas prices are prone to swift and dramatic price swings based on supply and demand, geopolitical events, economic events, and even natural disasters. The pair attempt to ride out the ups and downs of the industry by operating diversified businesses. That includes having operations that span from the upstream (production) through the midstream (pipelines) to the downstream (chemicals and refining). They also have geographic diversification via global asset portfolios.

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Source Fool.com