Expected Dividend Increases for January 2024

As I'm writing this blog post on Monday, December 18th, it is currently 21 degrees Fahrenheit here in Central Wisconsin, but it feels like just 5 degrees! Fortunately, the high temperatures will climb back into the 40s in time for the Christmas holiday weekend. As it stands, we're looking at our first snow-free Christmas since 2018!

With that aside, all of the dividend raises that I expected for this month have already been announced (and two additional raises). Thus, I will go over those payout increases and look ahead to the ones that I am expecting for January 2024.

Actual Dividend Increases for December 2023

Dividend Increase #1: Abbott Laboratories (ABT)

Abbott Laboratories declared a 7.8% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.55. This was slightly better than the 5.9% increase that I was expecting to $0.54.

Across my six shares of ABT, my net annual forward dividends edged $0.96 higher from this dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #2: Amgen (AMGN)

Amgen announced a 5.6% bump in its quarterly dividend per share to $2.25, which was less than the 8% increase that I was anticipating. However, that's justified considering the company's recently completed acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics.

My net annual forward dividends surged $2.88 higher across my six shares of AMGN due to this dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #3: American Tower (AMT)

American Tower declared a 5.6% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.70. This was better than the 3.7% increase to $1.68 that I predicted.

Across my six shares of AMT, my net annual forward dividends grew by $1.92 from this dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #4: Broadcom (AVGO)

Broadcom announced a 14.1% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $5.25, which was much more than the 10.9% increase to $5.10 that I was expecting.

My net annual forward dividends rocketed $10.40 higher across my four shares of AVGO due to this dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #5: Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY)

Bristol Myers Squibb declared a 5.3% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.60. That's exactly what I anticipated.

Across my 22 shares of BMY, my net annual forward dividends climbed higher by $2.40 from this dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #6: CVS Health (CVS)

CVS Health announced a 9.9% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.665, which was just above the $0.66 that I predicted.

My net annual forward dividends grew by $3.60 across my 15 shares of CVS due to this dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #7: Eastman Chemical (EMN)

Eastman Chemical declared a 2.5% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.81. That was less than the $0.82 that I expected.

Across my seven shares of EMN, my net annual forward dividends rose by $0.56 from this dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #8: Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR)

Innovative Industrial Properties announced a 1.1% raise in its quarterly dividend per share.

My net annual forward dividends inched $0.48 higher across my six shares of IIPR due to this dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #9: Mastercard (MA)

Mastercard declared a 15.8% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.66, which was what I predicted.

Across my four shares of MA, my net annual forward dividends grew by $1.44 from this dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #10: Realty Income (O)

Realty Income announced a 0.2% increase in its monthly dividend per share to $0.2565. This was in line with my expectations.

My net annual forward dividends edged higher by $0.144 across my 24 shares of O due to this dividend announcement.

Dividend Increase #11: Pfizer (PFE)

Pfizer declared a 2.4% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.42, which was what I forecasted.

Across my 26 shares of PFE, my net annual forward dividends rose by $1.04 from this dividend declaration.

Dividend Increase #12: U.S. Bancorp (USB)

U.S. Bancorp announced a 2.1% bump in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.49.

My net annual forward dividends increased by $1.04 across my 26 shares of USB due to this dividend announcement.

Expected Dividend Increases for January 2024

Expected Dividend Increase #1: Air Products & Chemicals (APD)

My best guess is that Air Products & Chemicals will declare an 8% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.89.

Across my five shares of APD, my net annual forward dividends would grow by $2.80 from such a dividend declaration.

Expected Dividend Increase #2: BlackRock (BLK)

I believe that BlackRock will announce a 2% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $5.10.

My net annual forward dividends would rise by $0.80 across my two shares of BLK if this dividend announcement materializes.

Expected Dividend Increase #3: Comcast (CMCSA)

My projection is that Comcast will declare a 6.9% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.31.

Across my 39 shares of CMCSA, my net annual forward dividends would surge higher by $3.12 from such a dividend declaration.

Expected Distribution Increase #4: Enterprise Products Partners (EPD)

My best guess is that Enterprise Products Partners will up its quarterly distribution per unit by 2% to $0.51.

My net annual forward distributions would rise by $2.08 across my 52 units of EPD if this prediction pans out.

Expected Distribution Increase #5: Energy Transfer (ET)

I predict that Energy Transfer will announce a 0.8% raise in its quarterly distribution per unit to $0.315.

Across my 86 units of ET, my net annual forward distributions would grow by $0.86 from such a dividend announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #6: Kimberly Clark (KMB)

My forecast is that Kimberly Clark will declare a 3.4% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.22.

My net annual forward dividends would rise by $0.64 across my four shares of KMB if this prediction becomes reality.

Expected Dividend Increase #7: Kinder Morgan (KMI)

My best guess is that Kinder Morgan will announce a 2.7% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.29.

Across my 64 shares of KMI, my net annual forward dividends would increase by $1.92 from such a dividend announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #8: Alliant Energy (LNT)

I predict that Alliant Energy will declare a 6.1% boost in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.48.

My net annual forward dividends would grow by $1.43 across my 13 shares of LNT if this dividend declaration occurs.

Expected Dividend Increase #9: ONEOK (OKE)

I believe that ONEOK will announce a 2.1% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.975.

Across my 34 shares of OKE, my net annual forward dividends would rise by $2.72 from such a dividend announcement.

Expected Dividend Increase #10: WEC Energy Group (WEC)

My best guess is that WEC Energy Group will declare a 6.7% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.8325.

My net annual forward dividends would increase by $2.52 across my 12 shares of WEC if this dividend declaration happens.

Concluding Thoughts:

The 12 dividend boosts that I received in December helped my net annual forward dividends grow by $26.864. For context, it would take an $895.47 investment at a 3% yield to replicate the effect of dividend growth on my portfolio for the month.

Looking ahead to next month, I anticipate that I will receive an $18.89 lift in my net annual forward dividends from 10 dividend raises. That is like investing $629.67 at a 3% dividend yield.

Discussion:

How have your dividend increases been thus far for December 2023?

Did you benefit from any first-time dividend boosts?

I appreciate your readership and welcome your comments below!

November 2023 Dividend Income

As I'm writing this blog post, it is currently December 11th. Surprisingly, the temperatures are still holding above the average for this time of year here in Central Wisconsin. It's currently 23 degrees Fahrenheit and it is expected to reach a high of 27 degrees Fahrenheit later today.

With that aside, I will detail my dividend income for November 2023. Let's dig in!

In November 2023, I collected $327.57 in net dividends. That equates to a 7.1% growth rate compared to the $305.77 in net dividends that I received from my portfolio in August 2023.

My net dividends were 43.3% greater than the $228.67 in net dividends that I collected in November 2022.

Diving deeper, I received $311.97 in net dividends from 30 companies within my Robinhood portfolio. My net dividends collected from my Webull account were $15.20 from three companies (also factoring in $0.06 of ADR fees for British American Tobacco). Lastly, I received $0.40 in net dividends from 16 companies within my M1 Finance portfolio.

The net dividends that I collected from August 2023 to November 2023 grew by $21.80, which was due to the following activity in my account:

I received an extra $0.40 from Starbucks (SBUX) within my Robinhood portfolio. That was the result of the 7.5% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.57.

My net distributions collected from Energy Transfer (ET) in my Robinhood and Webull accounts grew by $0.22, which was due to the 0.8% increase in its quarterly distribution per unit to $0.3125.

I received an additional $0.15 in net dividends from Main Street Capital (MAIN) within my Robinhood portfolio. This was the result of a 2.2% raise in its monthly dividend per share to $0.235.

My net dividends collected from Realty Income (O) grew by $0.01 in my Robinhood account, which was due to the 0.2% increase in its monthly dividend per share to $0.256.

I received an extra $0.16 in net dividends from Tanger Inc. (SKT) within my Robinhood portfolio. This was the result of a 6.1% bump in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.26.

My net dividends received from AbbVie (ABBV) surged $4.44 higher in my Robinhood account, which was due to a 4.7% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.55 and my addition of three shares in August.

I received an additional $0.24 in net dividends from A.O. Smith (AOS) within my Robinhood portfolio. That can be explained by the 6.7% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.32.

My passive income collected from Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP) declined by $16.77 in my Robinhood account. However, this was mostly offset with an additional $16.24 in dividends from ONEOK (OKE) from a higher share count. That is how my net dividends declined by just $0.53 from this transaction.

I received $0.72 in extra dividends from Texas Instruments (TXN) within my Robinhood portfolio, which was the result of a 4.8% increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $1.30.

My net dividends collected from British American Tobacco (BTI) dipped by $0.55 in my Robinhood and Webull accounts. This was due to the variability of foreign currency translation.

I received an additional $2.20 in net dividends from Lowe's (LOW) within my Robinhood portfolio, which was thanks to a purchase of another two shares in August.

My net dividends collected from Verizon Communications (VZ) grew by $10.35 in my Robinhood account. This was due to the 1.9% raise in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.665, as well as my addition of 15 shares in July.

I received an extra $3.99 in net dividends from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) within my Robinhood portfolio, which was due to my purchase of seven more shares in July.

Concluding Thoughts:

Due to dividend increases and one additional dividend payer that will be in the mix for February 2024, this should be my final middle month of the quarter below $350 in net dividend income. Starting in February, I'm also aiming to begin allocating between $1,500 and $2,000 in capital each month.

Discussion:

How was your dividend income for November 2023?

Did you collect any first-time dividend payments?

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment below!

November 2023 Dividend Stock Purchases

As I'm writing this blog post, it's already December 4th. The weather remains uncharacteristically warm for this time of year here in Central Wisconsin. It's also my nephew's 9th birthday today, which really drives home the idea that the older you get, the more time flies (it seems like just yesterday, he was a baby).

Now that the month of November is over, it is time to go over my stock purchases/sale activity for that period.

My first sale of the month was all 64 shares of Medical Properties Trust (MPW) at $4.81 a share. This reduced my net annual forward dividends by $38.40. My decision to sell out of MPW was based largely on this analysis from Dividend Sensei. For the sake of brevity, MPW has significant maturities that are coming due soon. This could force the company to cut its dividend once again to preserve liquidity, which could lead to significant underperformance moving forward as well.

The other sale for November was all six shares of MMM (MMM) at $99.10 a share. That lowered my net annual forward dividends by $36. As Dividend Sensei explained, mounting legal costs and a diminishing growth outlook could result in an eventual dividend cut from MMM. Besides some rare exceptions like Energy Transfer in 2020, dividend or distribution cuts tend to lead to poor investment results. I'm basically trying to get out ahead of a potential cut from MMM and redeploy proceeds into a more fundamentally strong and stable high-yielder.

That brings me to my purchase of 25 shares of MPLX LP (MPLX) at an average cost of $36.22 a share. This purchase added $85 to my net annual forward distributions, which equates to a 9.39% distribution yield. The impetus for this investment decision and my investment research that followed was again thanks to Dividend Sensei's recent article.

Concluding Thoughts:

My investment decisions for November boosted my net annual forward distributions by $10.60. More importantly, I believe that the objective quality of my portfolio improved from these transactions.

Combined with the $11.28 in dividend increases that I received during the month, my net annual forward dividends surged from nearly $4,260 to start the month to $4,280 by the end of it.

Discussion:

How was your November 2023 for capital deployment?

Did you sell any stocks as I did during the month?

Thanks for your readership and please leave your thoughts below!

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!