May 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List

As I'm writing this blog post on Saturday, April 6th, the temperature here in Central Wisconsin is expected to reach a high of 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Needless to say, that's quite nice for this time of year.

Without further ado, I will be sharing three of the dividend stocks at the top of my watch list for May 2024.

Image Source: Pexels

Dividend Stock #1: Brookfield Asset Management (BAM)

The first stock on my watch list for next month is Brookfield Asset Management (BAM). Since my previous Seeking Alpha article in February, my investment thesis is unchanged.

Simply put, BAM is a proven and leading player in the growing alternative asset management industry. This should position the company for continued double-digit annual distributable EPS growth in the years ahead. As a bonus, the balance sheet is A-rated and arguably robust. BAM isn't a bargain at the current $41 share price (as of April 6, 2024), but it's trading close to fair value. For a company of its quality, this makes it an interesting buy to me. Thus, I'm considering upping my weighting from 1% to almost 2% next month.

Dividend Stock #2: McDonald's (MCD)

The next stock on my watch list for May 2024 is McDonald's (MCD). The investment thesis for MCD is the same as it was last month when I covered the stock for The Dividend Kings and iREIT on Alpha (fair warning, it's behind a paywall).

Basically, McDonald's loyalty program continued to grow in Q4 to over 150 million 90-day active users. The company thinks that it can grow to 250 million active users by 2027, which could provide even more stability and growth to its revenue/earnings base. The 2.5% payout is well-covered by free cash flow and shares are a solid value in my opinion at the current $267 price (as of April 6, 2024). That's why I am seriously considering doubling up my position next month to a nearly 1.5% weighting.

Dividend Stock #3: NextEra Energy (NEE)

The third and final stock on my watch list for next month is NextEra Energy (NEE). My investment thesis for NEE is similar to when I last covered it in January on Seeking Alpha.

Essentially, NEE has a track record of steady earnings growth and is a Dividend Aristocrat that has handed out 10% dividend hikes in recent years. The payout also appears to be quite sustainable. Lastly, the valuation could be interesting at the current $64 share price (as of April 6, 2024). This is why I'm interested in boosting my weighting from 0.7% to around 1.5% in May.

Concluding Thoughts:

Voila! Another watch list and another trio of world-class dividend growth stocks in my view. Barring massive rallies, I'm looking forward to increasing my stakes in these three great businesses next month.

Discussion:

Are any of BAM, MCD, or NEE on your watch list for May 2024?

If not, what stocks are on your radar for next month?

I appreciate your readership and welcome your comments below!

March 2024 Dividend Income

As I'm writing this blog post, it's April 3rd. My paternal grandma is officially 86 years old today! After a relatively warm March, the weather has cooled off in recent days to start April here in Central Wisconsin. The temperature today is 34 degrees Fahrenheit and the ground is covered with a few inches of snow.

I'm not complaining, though. We have had limited snowfall so far this season and not much rain, either. So, I'll take precipitation however we can get it for the grass to get greened up.

Now that March is in the books, I will take a look at my dividend income for the month.

Nearing A Major Milestone For The Portfolio

In March 2024, I received $476.14 in net dividends (adjusting for ADR fees on BP dividends and withholdings on BAM dividends). Against the $529.78 in net dividends that I collected in December 2023, that's a -10.1% quarterly growth rate. Factoring out $81.26 in special dividends received from CAIBX (net of the $10 annual fee), my net dividend income was up 6.2%.

Compared to the $392.62 in net dividends that I collected in March 2023, this is a 21.3% year-over-year growth rate.

My residual Robinhood net dividends and Charles Schwab net dividends totaled $372.66 from 47 companies. This was driven by dividend raises announced in December, January, and February. The timing of an $8.15 dividend payment from United Parcel Service (UPS) also played a role in the income derived within these accounts.

I received $85.96 in regular net dividends from my Capital Income Builder or CAIBX mutual fund within my retirement account. That was due to a raise in the quarterly dividend per share and a higher share count from dividend reinvestment.

My net dividends collected in my Webull account from six companies were $16.97. This was the result of Prudential Financial's (PRU) 4% raise in the quarterly dividend per share announced in February.

In my M1 Finance account, the timing of UPS' dividend payment offset the timing of Fastenal's (FAST) dividend payment. Along with an extra $0.01 each from Aflac (AFL), Amgen (AMGN), and NextEra Energy (NEE) stemming from recent dividend hikes, this is how my net dividends were $0.55 from 23 companies.

Concluding Thoughts:

My portfolio is edging closer to generating $500 in monthly net dividends for the months of March, June, and September, as I surpassed $500 in December with special dividends from my CAIBX holding included. Overall, I hope to be blessed enough to continue this journey in the months and years that lie ahead. After years of hard work and (mostly) diligent capital deployment, it's starting to pay off!

Discussion:

How was your dividend income in March 2024?

Did you collect any special dividends or first-time dividends during the month?

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment below!

March 2024 Dividend Stock Purchases

As I'm writing this blog post, it's Wednesday, March 27th. The high temperature is expected to reach 34 degrees Fahrenheit here in Central Wisconsin today. Good Friday and Easter weekend are shaping up to be very warm, with the high temperatures reaching into the 50s. So, it will be a great time to for me to spend time with family, praise my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, and get outside!

Now that there is just one trading day left in the month, it is time to discuss my dividend stock purchases for March 2024.

Dividend Stock Purchase #1: Automatic Data Processing (ADP)

I started off my purchases today and for this month by purchasing four more shares of Automatic Data Processing (ADP) at an average price per share of $247.72. The $22.40 that this transaction added to my portfolio's net annual forward dividends was equivalent to a 2.26% net dividend yield.

Interested readers can check out a link to my buying rationale in my March 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List blog post.

Dividend Stock Purchase #2: Agree Realty (ADC)

Next, I opened a 20 share position in Agree Realty (ADC) at an average cost of $56.55 apiece. The $59.28 in net annual forward dividends that this purchase added to my portfolio worked out to a 5.24% net dividend yield.

Similar to ADP, readers can find a link to my investment thesis for ADC in the March 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List blog post that I noted earlier.

Dividend Stock Purchase #3: Enbridge (ENB)

Finally, I started a 31 share position in Enbridge (ENB) at an average cost of $35.82 each. This transaction lifted my net annual forward dividends by $83.70, which equated to a 7.54% net dividend yield.

Like ADP and ADC, a link to my buying explanation for ENB can also be found in the March 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List blog post.

Concluding Thoughts:

After seven months of not deploying fresh capital to shore up my emergency fund, I deployed $3,232.17 in capital in March 2024. Compared to the $165.38 in net annual forward dividends added by these purchases, that's a 5.12% weighted average net dividend yield.

Along with $14.184 in dividend increases during the month, my net annual forward dividends grew to nearly $4,480 heading into April.

Discussion:

How was your capital deployment in March 2024?

Did you open any new positions as I did with ADC and ENB?

Please feel free to comment below and I hope everyone has/had a blessed Easter!

April 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List

As I'm writing this blog post, it's March 18th. The temperatures have cooled off considerably in the last week, with the high set to reach just 37 degrees Fahrenheit today. That's a far cry from the temperatures ranging in the 50s to 60s just a few days ago.

I haven't yet purchased any of the stocks on my March 2024 Dividend Stock Watch List, but plan to in the coming days. With the month more than half over, I will now be looking ahead to April 2024. Here are three of the stocks on my watch list for next month.

Image Source: Pexels

Dividend Stock #1: PepsiCo (PEP)

The first stock on my watch list for April 2024 is PepsiCo (PEP). Since my investment thesis is unchanged from my Seeking Alpha article last September, interested readers can check out that article.

In a nutshell, PEP's 3.1% dividend yield is sustainable. Thanks to healthy profitability and industry leadership, the company possesses an A-rated balance sheet. Shares also appear to be slightly undervalued at the current $171 share price (as of March 18, 2024). That's why I'm looking to up my weighting from 0.9% to between 1.5% and 2%.

Dividend Stock #2: Starbucks (SBUX)

The next stock on my watch list for next month is Starbucks (SBUX).

The holding currently comprises 0.8% of my portfolio, which I wouldn't mind ultimately doubling. Starbucks looks to have plenty of room to grow yet: The company is targeting 55,000 stores in the long-term, which is well above its mark of nearly 39,000 as of Dec. 31, 2023.

Couple that with margin expansion and this could support double-digit non-GAAP EPS growth annually for the foreseeable future. Free cash flow also covered the dividend nearly three times over in its fiscal first quarter per the Q1 2024 Press Release that I linked above, which suggests the payout can keep growing at a strong rate. Along with a 2.5% dividend yield and what I believe to be moderate undervaluation from the current $91 share price (as of March 18, 2024), this is why I'm interested in doubling my position.

Dividend Stock #3: UnitedHealth Group (UNH)

The third stock on my watch list for April 2024 is UnitedHealth Group (UNH). Since my previous Seeking Alpha article last month, my investment thesis remains unchanged.

UNH is a dividend growth machine with more than enough free cash flow to support further dividend growth. That makes an otherwise pedestrian 1.5% dividend yield quite attractive to me. It's how I anticipate the dividend will again double in the next five years. Shares also could be somewhat discounted at the current $487 share price (as of March 18, 2024). This is why I wouldn't mind increasing my weighting of UNH from the current 1.3% to around 2%.

Concluding Thoughts:

So, that's the trifecta of dividend growth stocks I'm seriously considering adding to next month. In my opinion, these are each respectively three of the best businesses in the world. I'm pleased to own all three of them and even more pleased that I will likely be owning more of them in the coming weeks.

Discussion:

Are any of PEP, SBUX, or UNH on your watch list for next month?

If not, what stocks are you paying attention to for April 2024?

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment below!