The big attraction of Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD) today is probably its huge 7.4% distribution yield. But a high yield alone isn't enough to make this midstream giant a buy in the economically sensitive energy industry. That said, its 25-year streak of annual distribution increases might be a good reason to own it if you are the type of investor that wants a safe income stream. Here's what you need to know.

Recessions are a part of the business cycle, and there's nothing you can do to avoid them. The best you can hope for is to own stocks that are resilient during these deep economic pullbacks. There are any number of ways to assess a company's ability to withstand a recession, but for dividend investors, a simple one is to examine their dividend history. Simply put, you want to own businesses that have a history of increasing their dividends in both good and bad markets. As noted, Enterprise has a pretty strong track record on that front.

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Source Fool.com