The Iran War Sent Oil Above $100. These 3 Royalty Trusts Are Quietly Paying Double Digit Yields Because of It

"Oil is back in the headlines, and royalty trusts are quietly soaking up the rebound. With WTI crude flirting with and rising above $100 per barrel of late, the income side of the energy trade looks more interesting than it has in years. Royalty structures pass through commodity exposure without the operating cost burden of producers, and right now several of them sit well under $50 a share, putting them within reach of any retail investor scanning for yield."

"North European Oil Royalty Trust (NYSE: NRT) is a grantor trust that holds royalty rights on oil and gas concessions in Germany and pays out income quarterly. Shares ended April, up 29.08% year to date and 109.3% over the past year. The trust trades at a trailing PE near 8 with a profit margin of 91.9% and a dividend yield of 11.8%. Q4 2025 distributions jumped to $0.31 per unit versus $0.02 a year earlier, and the cumulative 12-month payout rose 69% to $0.81 per unit."

"The bull case is simple: a pure-play passive royalty stream with no operating costs, riding stronger German gas pricing. The risk is that these are depleting assets and European energy policy can shift quickly. Still, for income hunters, the rebound looks intact."

"Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (NYSE:CRT) holds net profits interests in oil and gas properties across Texas and Oklahoma. The units closed up 37.5% year to date as energy opportunities continue to attract. This is the contrarian pick. The March 2026 distribution collapsed to $0.000923 per unit as $5.76 million in unrecovered excess costs on Texas Working Interest NPIs suppressed payouts. April 2026 already showed signs of stabilization with a $0.06972 distribution, and Oklahoma recovered $39,000 of excess costs. With WTI back"

WTI crude rising toward and above $100 per barrel has renewed interest in energy income. Royalty trusts provide commodity exposure by passing through royalty income without the operating cost burden faced by producers. Several trusts trade below $50 per share and may appeal to retail investors seeking yield. North European Oil Royalty Trust is a grantor trust holding royalty rights on German oil and gas concessions and pays quarterly. It shows strong recent share performance and sharply higher distributions, supported by stronger European gas pricing, while facing risks from depleting assets and fast-changing energy policy. Cross Timbers Royalty Trust holds net profits interests in Texas and Oklahoma properties, with recent distribution volatility tied to unrecovered excess costs and signs of stabilization as crude improves.

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