The energy industry is decidedly out of favor today, even though the world still needs the oil and natural gas that it creates. That presents an opportunity for investors with a contrarian bent. But buying any old energy stock isn't the way to go -- you want to own financially strong names that can handle a little near-term adversity. Here are three companies with big dividend yields that should muddle through this rough patch with relative ease.
With a yield of roughly 5%, international energy major ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) is one of the largest and most diversified oil and gas companies in the world. Operations that span from the drill bit (upstream) to the gas pump (downstream) help provide some stability to the company's results over time, since low oil prices result in reduced costs for the company's refining and chemicals operations. Having assets spread across the globe, meanwhile, allows the company to tap into economic growth around the world.
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