Expected Dividend Increases for January 2023

As I'm writing this blog post, it's already Christmas Eve. The temperature with wind chill is currently well below zero here in Central Wisconsin.

With the month and the year of 2022 just about over, now is the time to go over the dividend increases that I received in December. I'll also look ahead to the payout boosts that I'm expecting for January 2023.

Actual Dividend Increases for December 2022

Dividend Increase #1: Abbott Laboratories (ABT)

Abbott Laboratories announced an 8.5% hike in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.51. This was slightly higher than the 6.4% increase to $0.50 that I was expecting.

My net annual forward dividends edged upward by $0.96 across my six shares of ABT due to the dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #2: Amgen (AMGN)

Amgen declared a 9.8% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $2.13, which was above my estimate of $2.10.

Across my four shares of AMGN, my net annual forward dividends soared $3.04 higher as a result of the dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #3: American Tower (AMT)

American Tower announced a 6.1% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.56. This was higher than my projection of $1.54.

My net annual forward dividends inched $1.08 higher across my three shares of AMT due to the dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #4: Broadcom (AVGO)

Broadcom declared a 12.2% hike in its quarterly dividend per share to $4.60, which was in line with my forecast of $4.60.

Across my three shares of AVGO, my net annual forward dividends rocketed $6.00 higher as a result of the dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #5: Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY)

Bristol Myers Squibb announced a 5.6% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.57. This was just below my expectation of $0.58.

My net annual forward dividends surged $1.80 higher across my 15 shares of BMY due to the dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #6: CVS Health (CVS)

CVS Health declared a 10% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.605, which was moderately higher than my estimate of $0.59.

Across my seven shares of CVS, my net annual forward dividends increased by $1.54 as a result of the dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #7: Eastman Chemical (EMN)

Eastman Chemical announced a 3.9% bump in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.79. This was below my projection of $0.81.

My net annual forward dividends edged $0.84 higher across my seven shares of EMN due to the dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #8: Realty Income (O)

Realty Income declared a 0.2% increase in its monthly dividend per share to $0.2485, which was lower than my forecast of $0.258.

Across my 17 shares of O, my net annual forward dividends inched $0.102 higher as a result of the dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #9: Pfizer (PFE)

Pfizer announced a 2.5% lift in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.41. This was less than my expectation of $0.43.

My net annual forward dividends increased by $0.68 across my 17 shares of PFE due to the dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #10: WEC Energy Group (WEC)

WEC Energy Group declared a 7.2% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.78, which was just above my estimate of $0.7775.

Across my eight shares of WEC, my net annual forward dividends surged $1.68 higher as a result of the dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #11: W.P. Carey (WPC)

W.P. Carey announced a 0.4% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.065. This was better than the $1.063 that I was projecting.

My net annual forward dividends edged $0.112 higher across my seven shares of WPC due to the dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #12: Mastercard (MA)

Mastercard declared a 16.3% hike in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.57, which was above my forecast of $0.55.

Across my three shares of MA, my net annual forward dividends increased by $0.96 as a result of the dividend declaration.

Dividend Freeze: Union Pacific (UNP)

Union Pacific kept its quarterly dividend per share in line with the previous of $1.30. But since the company typically boosts its dividend every May and the probability of a recession continues to rise, I'm perfectly fine with this dividend announcement.

Expected Dividend Increases for January 2023

Expected Dividend Increase #1: BlackRock (BLK)

The first dividend hike that I am expecting next month is from BlackRock. I believe that BLK will declare a 5.7% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $5.16.

Across my two shares of BLK, my net annual forward dividends would increase by $2.24 from such an announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #2: Realty Income (O)

The next payout boost that I'm forecasting in January will be from Realty Income. My projection is that O will announce a 3.8% increase in its monthly dividend per share to $0.258.

My net annual forward dividends would surge $1.938 higher across my 17 shares of O due to such an announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #3: Alliant Energy (LNT)

The third dividend increase that I am predicting next month is from Alliant Energy. My best guess is that LNT will declare a 7% hike in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.4575.

Across my 13 shares of LNT, my net annual forward dividends would be lifted $1.56 higher from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #4: Kimberly Clark (KMB)

The next dividend bump that I'm projecting in January will be from Kimberly Clark. I believe that KMB will announce a 1.7% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.18.

My net annual forward dividends would edge $0.32 higher across my four shares of KMB due to such an announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #5: Comcast (CMCSA)

The fifth payout boost that I am expecting next month is from Comcast. My projection is that CMCSA will declare a 7.4% lift in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.29.

Across my 25 shares of CMCSA, my net annual forward dividends would surge $2.00 higher from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #6: STAG Industrial (STAG)

The next dividend increase that I'm projecting in January will be from STAG Industrial. My best guess is that STAG will announce a 1.4% bump in its monthly dividend per share to $0.123334.

My net annual forward dividends would edge $0.42 higher across my 21 shares of STAG from such an announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #7: Tractor Supply (TSCO)

The seventh dividend hike that I am expecting next month is from Tractor Supply. I believe that TSCO will declare an 8.7% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.00.

Across my three shares of TSCO, my net annual forward dividends would inch $0.96 higher from such a declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #8: Dominion Energy (D)

The final dividend increase that I'm forecasting in January will be from Dominion Energy. My projection is that D will announce a 6.4% hike in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.71.

My net annual forward dividends would surge $1.02 higher across my six shares of D from such an announcement.

Concluding Thoughts:

The 12 dividend raises that I received in December boosted my net annual forward dividends by $18.794. This is equivalent to investing $536.97 in fresh capital at a weighted average dividend yield of 3.5%.

And the eight dividend hikes that I am expecting in January 2023 would raise my net annual forward dividends by $10.458. This would be the same as investing $298.80 at a net dividend yield of 3.5%.

Discussion:

How was your December 2022 for dividend hikes?

Did you receive any first-time payout boosts as I did with MA?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments below!

Recounting My Blessings (Part Two)

As I'm writing this blog post, Christmas is just eight days away. While there's never a bad time to count one's blessings and to be grateful, this is really the best time of the year to do so in my opinion.

As a follow-up to my post from early 2021, here are three more of the miraculous advantages that I have had in my life to this point.

Image Source: Pexels

The First Blessing: Living In The Information Age

Having been born in 1997, I have had all information in recorded human history at my fingertips for practically as long as I can remember. That's what makes it hard for me to grasp the following reality that all generations before those of us who are alive today had to grapple with in the past: The only way to learn something used to be to read books in print form.

With the advent of the search engine and YouTube, anybody with an internet connection can learn anything, at any time, from the comfort of their own home. The dark side to the internet is that it can be a rabbit hole of distractions. But when used to obtain knowledge, there is unlimited upside to the technology. This is what makes it so revolutionary to those who understand its power.

The Second Blessing: The Democratization Of Stock Ownership

Playing into the first blessing, stock ownership has been democratized. This is because, for one, it is now possible for average folks to thoroughly research the underlying fundamentals of stocks and pick winners with the availability of information via the internet.

And with all major brokers (that I can think of) offering no-commission stock trades and fractional share transactions to customers, it has never been easier to get started. This is what makes it such a tragedy that a significant minority of Americans don't own stocks.

Thanks to numerous blessings along with this one, I am approaching the much anticipated $100,000 mark for my investment portfolio. I'm still a bit surprised that I will reach this milestone after just over five years of saving. And it would have been much sooner if it weren't for the approximately $26,000 of books and tuition that I paid for out-of-pocket completing my last two years of undergrad.

The Third Blessing: This Blog

The third blessing loosely ties into the second one. Interestingly, one of the initial motivating factors for this blog was for me to refer readers to Robinhood, so that I could pick up free shares of stock. I only received a couple of free shares of stock from this strategy. But little did I know that this blog would cement my destiny as a writer.

After not having success with getting Robinhood referrals from my website, I turned my attention to writing non-exclusive articles through Seeking Alpha with the hopes of attracting more traffic to my blog and possibly more referrals. Upon writing my first article, an editor advised me to instead submit the article as an exclusive, paid one.

Nearly 200 paid Seeking Alpha articles later, I decided to leave my day job in 2021 and to pursue writing as a career with The Motley Fool and Seeking Alpha. This was such a life-changing move for the better because I believe that I'm now right where I was meant to be as it pertains to a career. If it weren't for this blog, who knows where I would be right now.

Concluding Thoughts:

I'm amazed at the trajectory of my life over the last few years. And it's not lost on me that there has certainly been a divine influence at the center of this remarkable journey. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. Let's keep pushing and finish out 2022 on a high note!

Discussion:

What are your blessings for which you are most grateful?

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

January 2023 Dividend Stock Watch List

As I'm writing this blog post on Saturday, December 10th, it's currently 32 degrees Fahrenheit here in Central Wisconsin. With the official start of winter less than two weeks away, that's a pretty decent temperature for this area.

With that aside, it's never too early to look ahead to next month. Here are three dividend stocks that I plan on buying, unless they experience massive rallies between now and then.

Image Source: Pexels

Dividend Stock #1: Dollar General (DG)

The first dividend stock on my watch list in January is Dollar General (DG). Interested readers can check out my Motley Fool article on the stock from September for my investment thesis. 

As massive as DG is, there's still plenty of room for future earnings growth. And on top of that earnings growth, the payout ratio is quite low. This makes up for the stock's starting yield of 0.9%. Topping it all off, DG is a decent value at the current $243 share price (as of December 10, 2022).

Dividend Stock #2: American Electric Power (AEP)

The next dividend stock on my watch list next month is American Electric Power (AEP). Readers looking for my investment thesis on the stock (and on Philip Morris International and Enterprise Products Partners) can take a look at my Motley Fool article from June.

Basically, everybody needs electricity. And AEP is one of the most dominant electric utilities in the industry. The stock offers a compelling 3.4% dividend yield that is also well-covered. And AEP isn't unreasonably valued at the current $97 share price (as of December 10, 2022).

Dividend Stock #3: Main Street Capital (MAIN)

The third dividend stock on my watch list for January is Main Street Capital (MAIN). Readers inquiring for my investment thesis on the stock (and for Prudential Financial) can find it in this recent Motley Fool article.

Essentially, MAIN provides capital to underserved businesses in exchange for debt and/or equity. Due to the lack of competition in its space, MAIN does quite well for itself. The business is well-diversified and steadily growing over time. And the 7.4% dividend yield is quite safe by business development company standards. The cherry on top is that MAIN is also somewhat cheap at the current $37 share price (as of December 10, 2022).

Concluding Thoughts:

In just three weeks, December and the year of 2022 will be in the books! I'm looking forward to adding yet another high-quality stock in DG to my dividend growth stock portfolio to start off 2023. And I'm just as excited to be adding to positions that are already well-established in my portfolio.

Discussion:

Are any of DG, AEP, or MAIN on your watch list for January 2023?

If not, what stocks are you thinking about buying next month?

As usual, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment below!

November 2022 Dividend Income

As I'm writing this blog post, it's Friday, December 2nd. It's hard to believe that there are just four weeks left to this year. Surprisingly, the high temperature is going to reach 40 degrees Fahrenheit today here in Central Wisconsin. That's considerably warmer than the average high of 27 degrees Fahrenheit for December in my area.

With that being said, November is now in the books. I will go over the net dividend income that my portfolio generated for the month of November 2022.

Analysis:

During November 2022, I collected $228.67 in net dividends. This equates to a 9.4% quarterly growth rate over the $209.05 in net dividends that I received in August 2022.

My net dividends were a staggering 63.8% higher compared to the $139.64 in net dividends that were collected in November 2021.

Digging deeper, I received $214.61 in net dividends from 30 companies in my Robinhood account. My net dividends collected within my Webull portfolio amounted to $13.71 from three companies. Finally, I received $0.35 in net dividends from 15 companies in my M1 Finance account.

The net dividends that I collected from August 2022 to November 2022 soared higher by $19.62. This was due to the following activity within my portfolio:

I received an extra $0.40 in net dividends from Starbucks (SBUX) in my Robinhood account, which was the result of the stock's 8.2% dividend hike in September.

My net distributions collected from Energy Transfer (ET) within my Robinhood and Webull portfolios were $9.00 higher. This was due to the company's 15.2% distribution boost in October, as well as my purchase of 26 more units in August.

I received an additional $0.12 in net dividends from Main Street Capital (MAIN) in my Robinhood account, which was the result of a 2.3% dividend increase in the monthly dividend per share in November.

My net dividends collected from British American Tobacco (BTI) within my Robinhood and Webull portfolios were $3.36 more than the prior quarter. This was due to my purchase of six additional shares of BTI in July.

I received an extra $3.30 in net dividends from National Retail Properties (NNN) in my Robinhood account, which was the result of my addition of six shares in August.

My net dividends collected from A.O. Smith (AOS) were $0.24 higher within my Robinhood portfolio. This was due to the stock's 7.1% dividend raise announced in October.

I received an additional $2.84 in net dividends from Texas Instruments (TXN) in my Robinhood account, which was the result of my purchase of another two shares in August and the 7.8% dividend increase in September.

My net dividends collected from Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (SKT) edged $0.22 higher within my Robinhood portfolio. This was due to the 10% hike in the dividend back in October.

I received my first ever payment of $2.56 in net dividends from STAG Industrial (STAG) in my Robinhood account, which was the result of opening a 21 share position in October.

My net distributions collected from Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP) within my Robinhood portfolio were $0.16 more than the prior quarter. This was due to its 1% distribution increase in November.

I received an extra $0.49 in net dividends from Mastercard (MA) in my Robinhood account. This was the result of my purchase of an additional share of the stock in July.

My net dividends collected from Verizon were $0.25 higher within my Robinhood portfolio, which was due to the stock's 2% dividend increase in September.

I received an additional $2.70 in net dividends from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) in my Robinhood account. This was the result of my purchase of five more shares in September.

My net dividends collected from JPMorgan Chase (JPM) were $6.02 lower within my Robinhood and M1 Finance accounts, which was due to the timing of when I received the dividend payment.

Concluding Thoughts:

November 2022 was a record month of net dividend income for a middle of the quarter month. And based on my anticipated dividend increases and capital deployment, this will likely be my last middle of the month quarter under $250 in net dividend income.

Discussion:

How was your dividend income in November 2022?

Did you collect any first-time dividends during the month as I did with STAG?

I appreciate your readership and welcome your comments below!