Vertigo3d Energy companies have long been a staple for dividend investors. Unlike other sectors, this industry doesn't have to continually invent the next best thing to stay atop the field. This industry is known for generous capital returns to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks, and this is reflected by its strong total returns. As shown below, the SPDR Energy Select ETF (XLE) has beaten the S&P 500 (SPY) in total return over the past 5 years with a 108% total return compared to 96% from ...