Tuesday, December 10, 2024

January 2025 Stock Watch List

As I'm writing this blog post on Friday, December 6th, the high temperature here in Central Wisconsin is going to reach just 18 degrees Fahrenheit today. Winter is officially about two weeks away, but it already feels like winter is here!

Now that we're almost a week into December, I figure that now isn't a bad time to start looking ahead to next month. Here are three stocks on my watch list for January 2025 (hard to believe 2024 is just about over).

Stock #1: Alphabet (GOOGL)

The first stock on my watch list in January 2025 is once again Alphabet. Those who are curious can find my investment thesis in my November 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List blog post.

Since that time, regulatory risk has heightened a bit, with the Department of Justice's push for GOOGL to divest Chrome. The company remains a financial fortress, though. Growth prospects are still holding up, too. The $175 share price (as of December 6th, 2024) represents a forward P/E ratio of around 19x, which arguably prices in risk here.

Stock #2: Main Street Capital (MAIN)

The next stock on my watch list for next month is Main Street Capital. I haven't covered MAIN in quite a while, but my investment thesis from my March 2024 Seeking Alpha article remains unchanged.

The gist of my bullish sentiment can be explained by a few positive elements. That includes an exceptional annualized return on equity, its distributable net investment income per share exceeding dividends paid, and a record net asset value per share for the ninth straight quarter. MAIN isn't a bargain at the $55 share price (as of December 6th, 2024), but this is another plus for its growth prospects. That's because the company partially relies on share issuances to fund growth. So, issuing shares at a premium to NAV is a boon for MAIN.

Stock #3: Nvidia (NVDA)

The final stock on my watch list in January 2025 is Nvidia. Since I first purchased NVDA in May 2024, I've been gradually working on building my allocation to the stock. It's not hard to see why, either.

NVDA's products are so hot that supply is expected to remain constrained for the foreseeable future. That is driving substantial pricing power and exceptional profit margins for the company. Overall, NVDA looks like it has many more years of double-digit earnings growth ahead. At the $142 share price (as of December 6th, 2024), NVDA is priced at a forward P/E ratio of just 32. That's hardly an unjustifiable valuation for a company of NVDA's caliber.

Concluding Thoughts:

That's it for this blog post. Another month of three phenomenal blue-chip stocks. As capital allocation is concerned, I plan on weighting MAIN around 35% to 40% and GOOGL and NVDA around 60% to 65%. That puts me right around a 3% weighted average dividend yield that I target and also provides loads of growth potential for my portfolio.

Discussion:

Are any of GOOGL, MAIN, or NVDA on your radar for next month?

If not, what are you watching for January 2025?

Thanks for reading. I welcome your comments below!

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

November 2024 Dividend Income

As I'm writing this blog post on Tuesday, November 26th, it is currently freezing here in Central Wisconsin. The temperature today is expected to reach a high of just 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now that the month is almost complete, I'll highlight my net dividend income for November 2024. Let's get into it!

Dividend Income Nearly Topped $450 in November 2024

In November 2024, I received $449.18 in net dividends (accounting for British American Tobacco's ADR fees). That equates to a 16.8% growth rate versus August 2024.

My net dividends in November were 37.1% higher than the $327.57 in net dividends collected in November 2023.

In more depth, I received $417.14 in net dividends from 27 companies within my Charles Schwab portfolio. Aside from dividend increases, the higher dividend base in this account was mostly driven by recent dividend stock purchases. Most specifically, that includes July 2024 Dividend Stock PurchasesAugust 2024 Dividend Stock Purchases, and October 2024 Dividend Stock Purchases.

I also collected $16.02 in net dividends from three companies in my Webull account. This slight increase from August was due to a higher distribution from Energy Transfer and favorable foreign currency translation for British American Tobacco.

My net dividends received from four companies in my Fidelity portfolio grew to $16.02. Dividend stock purchases of Realty Income and Mastercard in recent months led to this increase in income.

Concluding Thoughts:

There we have it. Another month of dividends and another month of progress for the portfolio. I hope to continue deploying fresh capital, reinvesting dividends, and receiving dividend raises to keep my income moving higher. I'm thankful to be living in the greatest country in the history of the planet and I hope everybody has a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Discussion:

How was your net dividend income in November 2024?

Did you receive any first-time dividend payments during the month?

I appreciate your readership and look forward to your comments below!

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

November 2024 Dividend Stock Purchases/Sales

As I'm writing this blog post, it's currently Friday, November 22nd. The low temperature here in Central Wisconsin is set to get down to just 26 degrees Fahrenheit later today. Snow is also in the forecast tonight. In other words, winter is unofficially here.

Now that November will be over in one trading week, it's a good time to review my stock purchases and sales for the month. Without further ado, let's jump into it!

Stock Purchase #1: Energy Transfer (ET)

The first stock that I purchased in November was 41 units of Energy Transfer at an average price of $16.46 a unit. Interested readers can check out my updated investment thesis for ET in this recent TipRanks article. This transaction lifted my net annual forward distributions by $52.89, which equates to a 7.84% distribution yield.

Stock Purchase #2: Alphabet (GOOGL)

Another stock purchase that I completed was four shares of Alphabet at a cost per share of $171.16. Readers can find my buy rationale for GOOGL in my November 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List blog post. This added $3.20 to my net annual forward dividends, which is equivalent to a 0.47% dividend yield.

Stock Purchase #3: PepsiCo (PEP)

The third stock purchase that I made in November was four shares of PepsiCo at an average price of $165.73 a share. My buy case for PEP is briefly laid out in the aforementioned November 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List blog post. The $21.68 boost to my net annual forward dividends works out to a 3.27% net dividend yield.

Bonus Stock Purchase: Meta Platforms (META)

My final stock purchase executed with fresh capital was one share of Meta Platforms at a cost of $567.42. My bullish argument for Meta Platforms is briefly summarized in my September 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List blog post. This increased my net annual forward dividends by $2, which equates to a 0.35% dividend yield.

Dividend Stock Sales: Albemarle (ALB), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Simon Property Group (SPG), and Texas Instruments (TXN)

I disposed of several dividend stocks during the month. I made each of these sales because of a combination of overvaluation and poor dividend growth. These transactions lowered my portfolio's net annual forward dividend income by $189.04.

Dividend Stock Purchases: Energy Transfer (ET), MPLX LP (MPLX), Nvidia (NVDA), and Realty Income (O)

I used my proceeds to purchase 40 units of Energy Transfer (ET) at $17.31 apiece, 25 units of MPLX LP (MPLX) at $47.47 each, 24 shares of Nvidia (NVDA) at an average cost of $144.82 apiece, and 15 shares of Realty Income (O) at $57.33 each. These purchases boosted my net annual forward dividends by $195.64.

Concluding Thoughts:

In November, I put $2,589.84 in fresh capital to work. These purchases raised my net annual forward dividends by $79.77, which is a weighted average dividend yield of 3.08%. Capital redeployment increased my net annual forward dividends by $6.60.

My net annual forward dividends were also lifted by $13.28 from November dividend increases. As a result, my net annual forward dividends rose from over $5,155 at the start of the month to roughly $5,255 at the end of the month.

Discussion:

How was your capital deployment in November 2024?

Did you open any new positions this month?

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment below!

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Expected Dividend Increases for December 2024

As I'm writing this blog post, it is currently Friday, November 15th. The high temperature is set to reach 54 degrees Fahrenheit here in Central Wisconsin. For this time of year, I'll take that any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Now that the month is half complete and most of my portfolio's dividend raises have been announced, I'll highlight the raises that I received. I'll also look ahead to the dividend hikes that I'm expecting for next month.

Actual Dividend Increases for November 2024

Dividend Increase #1: Automatic Data Processing (ADP)

Automatic Data Processing upped its quarterly dividend per share by 10% to $1.54. This came in just under my expectation of a 10.7% raise to $1.55.

Across my 11 shares of ADP, my net annual forward dividends soared by $6.16 due to this announcement.

Dividend Increase #2: Main Street Capital (MAIN)

As predicted, Main Street Capital increased its monthly dividend per share by 2% to $0.25.

My net annual forward dividends rose by $1.80 as a result of this dividend declaration across my 30 shares of MAIN.

Dividend Increase #3: Simon Property Group (SPG)

Simon Property Group announced a 2.4% bump in its quarterly dividend per share to $2.10. This met my forecast.

Across my nine shares of SPG, my net annual forward dividends increased by $1.80 due to this announcement.

Dividend Increase #4: Exxon Mobil (XOM)

Exxon Mobil declared a 4.2% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.99. This came in a bit shy of my expectation of a 5.3% raise to $1.

My net annual forward dividends grew by $1.76 across my 11 shares of XOM as a result of this dividend declaration.

Dividend Freeze: Enbridge (ENB)

Enbridge announced a quarterly dividend per share of 0.915 CAD, which was in line with the previous. This was less than the 3% raise to $0.69 USD that I was expecting. However, I expect the next dividend announcement will be what I anticipated.

Pending Dividend Increase #1: Merck (MRK)

Merck also hasn't announced its dividend hike yet. However, I stand by my projection of a 5.1% increase in the quarterly dividend per share to $0.81. 

My net annual forward dividends would grow by $1.76 across my 11 shares of MRK due to such an announcement.

UPDATE: As anticipated, Merck upped its quarterly dividend per share by 5.1% to $0.81. My net annual forward dividends increased by $1.76 across my 11 shares of MRK.

Expected Dividend Increases for December 2024

Actual Dividend Increase #1: Aflac (AFL)

Aflac has yet to up its quarterly dividend per share. I still believe it will declare a 6% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.53, though.

Across my 11 shares of AFL, that would provide a $1.32 lift to my net annual forward dividends.

UPDATE: Aflac hiked its quarterly dividend per share by 16% to $0.58. This was well above my expectations and lifted my net annual forward dividends by $3.52 across my 11 shares of AFL.

Expected Dividend Increase #1: Abbott Laboratories (ABT)

The first dividend raise that I'm expecting for next month will be from Abbott Laboratories. My best guess is that ABT will declare a 7.3% hike in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.59.

Across my six shares of ABT, my net annual forward dividends would rise by $1.44 from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #2: Amgen (AMGN)

The next dividend increase that I'm projecting in December will come from Amgen. I believe that AMGN will announce a 6.2% bump in its quarterly dividend per share to $2.39.

My net annual forward dividends would grow by $3.36 across my six shares due to such an announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #3: Broadcom (AVGO)

The third dividend hike that I'm predicting for next month will be from Broadcom. My guess is that AVGO will declare an 11.3% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.59.

Across my 40 shares of AVGO, my net annual forward dividends would climb higher by $9.60 from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #4: Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY)

The next dividend increase that I'm expecting in December will come from Bristol Myers Squibb. My best guess is that BMY will announce a 5% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.63.

My net annual forward dividends would rise by $2.64 across my 22 shares of BMY due to such an announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #5: CVS Health (CVS)

The fifth dividend raise that I'm projecting for next month will be from CVS Health. I believe that CVS will declare a 6% hike in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.705.

Across my 15 shares of CVS, my net annual forward dividends would grow by $2.40 from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #6: Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR)

The next dividend bump that I'm predicting in December will come from Innovative Industrial Properties. My guess is that IIPR will announce a 1.6% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.93.

My net annual forward dividends would increase by $0.72 across my six shares of IIPR due to such an announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #7: Mastercard (MA)

The seventh dividend hike that I'm expecting for next month will be from Mastercard. My best guess is that Mastercard will declare a 13.6% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.75.

Across my five shares of MA, my net annual forward dividends would rise by $1.80 from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #8: Realty Income (O)

The next dividend increase that I'm projecting in December will come from Realty Income. I believe that O will announce a 0.2% bump in its monthly dividend per share to $0.264.

My net annual forward dividends would increase by $0.288 across my 48 shares of O due to such an announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #9: Pfizer (PFE)

The ninth dividend raise that I'm predicting for next month will be from Pfizer. My guess is that PFE will declare a 2.4% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.43.

Across my 26 shares of PFE, my net annual forward dividends would grow by $1.04 from such a declaration.

Concluding Thoughts:

The five dividend raises that I received in November lifted my net annual forward dividends by $13.28. This would be equivalent to investing $442.67 at a 3% net dividend yield.

The 10 dividend hikes that I'm expecting for next month (including AFL's raise) would add $26.808 to my net annual forward dividend income. That would be like investing $893.60 at a 3% dividend yield.

Discussion:

How have your payout boosts been in November 2024?

Did you receive any first-time dividend hikes?

I appreciate your readership and look forward to your comments below!