As I'm writing this blog post, it's Saturday, April 4th. It's Easter weekend, but it doesn't feel like it here in Central Wisconsin. The high temperature is set to reach just 42 degrees Fahrenheit today (10+ degrees below the average for this time of year). At any rate, I'm still thrilled that it's Easter weekend.
With that aside, I will be highlighting my stock purchases in March 2026. Let's get into it!
Stock Purchase #1: Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
The first stock purchase that I completed in March 2026 was an additional three shares of Automatic Data Processing at an average price per share of $215.71. In my March 2026 Stock Watch List blog post, I laid out the rationale for why I've been adding ADP lately. The $20.40 boost in my net annual forward dividends is equivalent to a 3.15% net dividend yield.
Stock Purchase #2: Amazon.com (AMZN)
I also purchased another four shares of Amazon.com last month at an average cost of $203.92 per share. Readers can peruse my March 2026 Stock Watch List blog post linked above for my investment thesis.
Stock Purchase #3: Microsoft (MSFT)
The third stock purchase that I executed in March 2026 was an additional two shares of Microsoft at an average price per share of $396.17. Curious readers can find my investment thesis in my March 2026 Stock Watch List blog post linked earlier. The $7.28 in net annual forward dividends added from this transaction works out to a 0.92% dividend yield.
Stock Purchase #4: Western Midstream Partners (WES)
I also added another 22 units of Western Midstream Partners at an average cost of $41.49 a unit. Once again, I outlined my investment thesis in the March 2026 Stock Watch List blog post earlier. That lifted my net annual forward distributions by $81.84, which equates to an 8.97% net distribution yield.
Stock Purchase #5: VICI Properties (VICI)
The fifth stock purchase that I executed in March 2026 was three more shares of VICI Properties at an average price of $27.05 per share. I would refer interested readers to my April 2026 Stock Watch List blog post for my investment thesis for the net lease REIT. This added $5.40 to my net annual forward dividends, which is equivalent to a 6.65% net dividend yield.
Bonus Stock Purchase #1: Broadcom (AVGO)
I also picked up another three shares of Broadcom at an average cost per share of $315.38. I won't dive too deeply into it, but I'm basically very encouraged by AVGO's immense compounding potential (66%, ~60%, and ~22% non-GAAP EPS consensus growth projections for FY 2026 through FY 2028), the reasonable valuation of its shares (the forward 12-month P/E ratio is currently around 22x), an A-rated balance sheet, and a dividend with room to keep compounding at a double-digit percentage rate annually. That raised my net annual forward dividends by $7.80, which works out to a 0.82% net dividend yield.
Bonus Stock Purchase #2: BlackRock (BLK)
Finally, I purchased one share of BlackRock at a price of $937.97. Readers can find my most recent investment thesis in a Seeking Alpha article co-produced with Treading Softly. Essentially, I believe the string of private markets acquisitions will be instrumental in improving the company's adjusted operating margin. That would especially be the case if the trillions of dollars in retirement accounts were allowed to be modestly allocated to private equity/credit. BLK's AA- S&P credit rating makes it a juggernaut with a low cost of capital that can scoop up complementary assets. The recent double-digit percentage dividend hike and manageable payout ratio are additional positives. Finally, shares are also cheap relative to my fair value estimate above $1,100. This move added $22.72 to my net annual forward dividends, which equates to a 2.42% net dividend yield.
Concluding Thoughts:
In March 2026, I put $5,237.83 in net capital to work (including CAIBX mutual fund dividend reinvestment in my former employer-sponsored retirement account). My net annual forward dividends grew by $148.642 from capital deployment, which is equivalent to a 2.84% weighted-average net dividend yield.
In addition, my net annual forward dividends rose by $9.238 from the dividend raises that I received in March 2026. That's how my net annual forward dividends jumped from around $7,090 entering the month to nearly $7,235 at the end of the month (including modest downward adjustments in ADR net annual forward dividends, including Enbridge, British American Tobacco, Novo Nordisk, and GSK).
Discussion:
How was your March 2026 for capital deployment?
Did you open any new positions or close any positions during the month?
Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments below!
