Expected Dividend Increases for December 2023

As I'm writing this blog post, it's hard to believe it is December 1st. If it weren't for a glance at the calendar, you wouldn't know that it is December here in Central Wisconsin. It currently feels like 33 degrees Fahrenheit, which is pretty great for this time of year.

With that aside, now is time to look at the dividend increases that I received last month. I will also preview the dividend announcements that I expect for this month. Let's dig in!

Actual Dividend Increases for November 2023

Dividend Increase #1: Main Street Capital (MAIN)

Main Street Capital announced a 2.1% increase in its monthly dividend per share to $0.24, which met my forecast.

This dividend bump raised my net annual forward dividends by $1.80 across my 30 shares of MAIN.

Dividend Increase #2: Aflac (AFL)

Aflac declared a 19% hike in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.50. This was well above my expectation of a 4.8% increase to $0.44.

Across my 11 shares of AFL, my net annual forward dividends surged higher by $3.52 due to this dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #3: Automatic Data Processing (ADP)

Automatic Data Processing announced a 12% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.40, which was just above my prediction of 10.4% and $1.38.

My net annual forward dividends grew by $4.20 across my seven shares of ADP as a result of this dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #4: Merck (MRK)

Merck declared a 5.5% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.77. This was also in line with my projection.

Across my 11 shares of MRK, my net annual forward dividends rose by $1.76 due to this dividend declaration.

Dividend Freeze: Simon Property Group (SPG)

Simon Property Group announced that it was keeping its quarterly dividend per share in line with the previous of $1.90. I don't really mind SPG's conservatism in light of the current environment, so I am fine with a pause on the dividend increases.

Expected Dividend Increases for December 2023

Expected Dividend Increase #1: Realty Income (O)

I believe Realty Income will declare a 0.2% increase in its monthly dividend per share to $0.2565.

Across my 24 shares of O, my net annual forward dividends would rise by $0.144 from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #2: Abbott Laboratories (ABT)

My best guess is that Abbott Laboratories will announce a 5.9% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.54.

My net annual forward dividends would grow by $0.72 across my six shares of ABT if such an announcement plays out.

Expected Dividend Increase #3: Amgen (AMGN)

I predict that Amgen will declare an 8% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $2.30.

Across my six shares of AMGN, my net annual forward dividends would increase by $4.08 from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #4: American Tower (AMT)

I believe that American Tower will announce a 3.7% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.68.

My net annual forward dividends would rise by $1.44 across my six shares of AMT if such an announcement materializes.

Expected Dividend Increase #5: Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY)

My best guess is that Bristol Myers Squibb will declare a 5.3% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.60.

Across my 22 shares of BMY, my net annual forward dividends would grow by $2.64 from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #6: Broadcom (AVGO)

I predict that Broadcom will announce a 10.9% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $5.10.

My net annual forward dividends would rise by $8 across my four shares of AVGO if such an announcement plays out.

Expected Dividend Increase #7: CVS Health (CVS)

I believe that CVS Health will declare a 9.1% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.66.

Across my 15 shares of CVS, my net annual forward dividends would increase by $3.30 from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #8: Eastman Chemical (EMN)

My best guess is that Eastman Chemical will announce a 3.8% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.82.

My net annual forward dividends would grow by $0.84 across my seven shares of EMN if such an announcement materializes.

Expected Dividend Increase #9: Pfizer (PFE)

I predict that Pfizer will declare a 2.4% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.42.

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

Expected Dividend Increase #10: Mastercard (MA)

I believe that Mastercard will announce a 15.8% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.66.

My net annual forward dividends would increase by $1.44 across my four shares of MA if my estimate pans out.

Concluding Thoughts:

There you have it. I am slated to receive an additional $11.28 in net annual forward dividends due to the four increases last month. It would take $376 invested at a 3% dividend yield to replicate the effect that dividend increases had on my income.

This month is poised to be a pretty busy one on the dividend announcement front, so it will be interesting to see how they all play out! If these predictions play out as anticipated, my net annual forward dividends would surge higher by $23.644. This would be equivalent to investing $788.13 at a 3% dividend yield.

Discussion:

How were your dividend increases for the month of November?

Did you receive any first-time raises as I did with ADP?

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment below!

Weather Update And Interesting Thoughts On Visa

As I'm writing this blog post on Thursday, November 16th, the weather here in Central Wisconsin is beautiful. This is especially true for this time of year. It's expected to reach a high of 62 degrees Fahrenheit today. Ergo, I plan on getting outside soon.

As readers will recall from my updated posting schedule blog post, my writing one week out of each month will be meaningfully reduced. That's because I am settling into a role at Dividend Kings and also working on building my emergency fund up. Thus, I won't resume writing my monthly stock watch list post likely until January 2024.

In the meantime, here are just thoughts that popped up in my head shortly after writing an article on Visa (V) over at Seeking Alpha.

Visa Practically Has License To Print Money

One of the biggest takeaways from my article continued to be V's unbelievable profit margins. In the first nine months of its fiscal year 2023, the company turned 54.4 cents out of each $1 of net revenue into free cash flow.

Short of printing money, the closest thing that I can think of in terms of free cash flow margins to V is my home state's lottery. In the last 35 years, the Wisconsin Lottery has paid 56.9% of its revenue out in prizes. Operational expenses accounted for another 6.4% of total revenue over that time.

This implies that the Wisconsin Lottery's profit margin since its inception has been in the high-30% range. To me, this is just mindboggling and really goes to show just how lucrative V's business model and wide competitive moat make it.

Concluding Thoughts:

That's all I really have for this week, so I hope readers found value in the additional perspective regarding V's amazing profitability. Soon, I plan on highlighting the dividend raises that I received in November to date and looking ahead to December.

Discussion:

Since I'm not aware of any business that is more profitable than V, do you know of any publicly traded companies with higher margins?

Thank you for your readership and I look forward to your comments below!

Happy Thanksgiving To Everyone!

As I'm writing this blog post here on November 20th, it is the week of Thanksgiving. I just wanted to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving. I'll also just briefly highlight a few things that I am grateful for and leave it at that for this week.

Gratitude #1: Family

As is the case with at least some of us in the investing community, there have been times that I have lost sight of my blessings in my pursuit of wealth. I often look toward the future in anticipation of hopefully one day being on a very financially sound footing.

But this time of year especially, I'm so fortunate to have a mother, father, grandmother, uncle, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew who I at least spend some time with each week. I have been trying to live less in the future and more in the present of late. Spending quality time with my family has helped me in this regard.

My spending habits are modest by American standards. So, I need to remind myself that the real reason I am investing in the first place is to be able to extend charity toward my family and toward non-profits about which I am passionate. In times of financial need, I hope to be there for my family and others.

Gratitude #2: Health

As somebody with anxiety and depression, it can be tough for me at times to characterize my health as excellent. But even with my mental health setbacks, I try to remind myself that I'm still in a position so many other people would take in a heartbeat. The fact that I can walk, jog, run, reasonably function, and so much more is something that I strive to not take for granted.

Gratitude #3: My Career And Geographic Location

Finally, I was blessed to rebound from my job loss at Motley Fool rather quickly. Although it will be a sizable pay cut for a while versus where I was at prior to my job loss, I'll still at least be in the middle class, with some disposable income. In an economically developed and relatively free country like the USA, that's still a pretty nice place to be overall.

Concluding Thoughts:

Even after my job loss, there are several things that I am so grateful to have in my life. I really couldn't ask for much more than to have a great family, okay health, and a solid career in an exceptional country. Through the trials and tribulations of life, God has blessed me so much more than I deserve!

Discussion:

What are you grateful for right now?

As an honorable mention, I am grateful for your readership and support! Please feel free to leave your comments below.

October 2023 Dividend Income

As I'm writing this blog post, it is already Wednesday, November 8th. Surprisingly, the weather is going to be beautiful for this time of year here in Central Wisconsin. After Friday, we'll be in a major warming trend. High temperatures will rise from the low-40 degrees Fahrenheit range to 60 degrees on Tuesday!

On that note, the time of the month means that the previous month is well behind us. Without further ado, I will dig into my dividend income for October 2023.

In October 2023, I collected $282.51 in net dividends. That works out to a 9.5% quarterly growth rate over the $258.02 in net dividends received in July 2023.

Compared to the $204.57 in net dividends that I collected in October 2022, this equates to a 38.1% year-over-year growth rate.

Examining these results further, I received $272.08 in net dividends from 29 companies in my Robinhood account. I also collected $10.24 in net dividends from four companies within my Webull portfolio. Finally, I received $0.19 in net dividends from eight companies in my M1 Finance account.

My net dividends collected soared by $24.49 from July 2023 to October 2023, which was due to the following activity throughout my portfolio:

My net dividends received from JPMorgan Chase (JPM) were $0.30 higher within my Robinhood account. That was the result of its 5% raise announced in June.

I collected an extra $5.01 in net dividends from American Tower (AMT) in my Robinhood portfolio, which was due to the most recent dividend increase and my additional purchase in June.

My net dividends received from W.P. Carey (WPC) grew by $0.02 within my Robinhood account. This was the result of a 0.2% bump in its dividend.

I collected an additional $0.01 from Realty Income (O) in my Robinhood portfolio, which was due to the most recent 0.2% dividend increase in September.

My net dividends received from Spirit Realty Capital (SRC) grew by $0.13 within my Robinhood account. That was the result of a 1% raise in its dividend declared back in August.

I collected an extra $3.45 in net dividends from Medtronic (MDT) in my Robinhood portfolio, which was due to my additional purchase in June.

My net dividends received from Main Street Capital (MAIN) grew by $0.15 within my Robinhood account. That was the result of a 2.2% raise in its dividend in August.

I collected an additional $7.82 in net dividends from Leggett & Platt (LEG) in my Robinhood portfolio, which was due to my add in August.

My net dividends received from Medical Properties Trust (MPW) declined by $8.96 within my Robinhood account. That was the result of the 48.3% slash to the dividend in August.

I also collected $0.21 less from GSK (GSK) in my Robinhood portfolio, which is due to the variability of the dividend payment.

My net dividends received from Philip Morris International (PM) grew by $0.63 within my Robinhood and Webull accounts. This was the result of a 2.4% raise in September.

I collected $0.97 in additional dividends from Altria Group (MO) in my Robinhood, Webull, and M1 Finance portfolios, which was due to the 4.3% raise announced in August.

My net dividends received from VICI Properties (VICI) surged higher by $7.05 within my Robinhood account. That was the result of the 6.4% raise in September and my tranche purchased in August.

I collected an extra $5.61 in net dividends from Iron Mountain (IRM) in my Robinhood and Webull portfolios. This was due to the 5.1% raise in the dividend and my purchase of more shares in August.

My net dividends received from Automatic Data Processing (ADP) grew by $2.50 within my Robinhood account, which was the result of my addition in July.

Finally, I collected an extra $0.01 from Illinois Tool Works (ITW) in my M1 Finance portfolio. This was due to the 6.9% raise announced in August.

Concluding Thoughts:

For the sake of building my emergency fund up to around nine months of expenses, I'm not expecting to begin deploying at least $1,500 in monthly capital until at least January. Thus, January 2024 net dividend income will likely clock in just below $300. But that should be my final month with net dividend income under the $300 mark.

Discussion:

How was your dividend income in October 2023?

Did you get paid any first-time dividends during the month?

As always, I appreciate your readership and welcome your comments below!