In a similar announcement, El Paso Pipeline Partners (EPB), which trades around 17, raised its quarterly to 32 cents a unit from 30 cents, making for a 7.41% yield. Distributions have climbed every quarter since El Paso's public debut in 2007, and the same dates apply as for the Kinder Morgan payout.

Another outfit with fee-based cash flow, El Paso Pipeline (EPB), offers a 9% yield and should produce 10% compound annual growth in distributions over the next five years, according to Wachovia Capital Markets research. El Paso Pipeline's debt level is reasonable at 54%, and Wachovia thinks the stock is worth almost double its recent price near 13. One big plus: General partner El Paso Corp. (EP) recently dropped $971 million in pipeline assets into the partnership. A Wachovia report praised the deal, financed via a private debt placement and issuance of new units, saying it "reaffirms EPB's commitment to the MLP business model, and gives management credibility in delivering...to EPB unitholders."