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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Monthly Review: August 2015

In January 2014, I wrote a post on the balcony of our mini suite on the Norwegian Epic, en route to the Caribbean. My wife and I were celebrating our 28th anniversary by taking our first ever cruise as a married couple.

Last week we did our second cruise, this time an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Jewel. What an amazing experience! Alaska sure is a beautiful state! What made this cruise even more special is that we were accompanied by my parents and celebrating their 80th and 79th birthdays!

So, this post reflecting on August's portfolio performance is somewhat late...

Dividend income in August recovered a bit from last month's total, although projected monthly dividend income declined slightly because I closed a few positions during the month:


August Highlights

The stock market finally experienced a correction, dropping nearly 7% on increased volatility.

Dividend income increased to $560 from $394 received in July. In comparison, dividend income in August 2014 was $351. This represents a solid increase of 56% over the year-ago month.

I added 22 shares of Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) and 50 shares of Realty Income (NYSE:O). On the other hand, I sold all my shares of PartnerRe Ltd (NYSE:PRE), Baxter International Inc (NYSE:BAX) and Baxalta (NYSE:BXLT). Please see the linked article below for details.

Transactions:
  • Purchases
  • Sales
  • Dividends
    • 2015-08-03: Cash Dividend Receipt DE: $10.84
    • 2015-08-03: Cash Dividend Receipt T: $70.50
    • 2015-08-07: Cash Dividend Receipt GD: $35.00
    • 2015-08-13: Cash Dividend Receipt AAPL: $11.44
    • 2015-08-14: Return of Capital ETP: $103.50
    • 2015-08-14: Cash Dividend Receipt VNR: $21.15
    • 2015-08-17: Cash Dividend Receipt OHI: $77.00
    • 2015-08-17: Cash Dividend Receipt O: $9.50
    • 2015-08-18: Return of Capital APU: $110.40
    • 2015-08-18: Cash Dividend Receipt MIC: $33.30
    • 2015-08-20: Cash Dividend Receipt CAT: $46.20
    • 2015-08-25: Cash Dividend Receipt TGH: $35.25
  • Deposits
    • 2015-08-18: Passive Income Cash Deposit: $323.98
    • 2015-08-29: September Cash Deposit: $2,500.00

Changes in Projected Annual Dividend Income:
  • The purchase of 22 AAPL shares added $45.76.
  • The purchase of 50 O shares added $114.00.
  • The sale of 27 PRE shares removed $-75.60
  • The sale of 37 BAX shares removed $-76.96
  • MIC's dividend increase added $4.80.
  • Projected annual dividend income (31 August 2015): $6,675.06.

Dividend Summary:
  • Dividend income last month: $393.54
  • Dividend income this month: $560.39
  • Total dividend income year-to-date: $4,072.29

Markets:

Source: Yahoo! Finance

Jul 31, 2015
DOW: 17,689.86S&P 500: 2,103.8410-YR BOND: 2.21%
Aug 31, 2015
DOW: 16,528.03S&P 500: 1,972.1810-YR BOND: 2.20%

In August, the Dow dropped 6.57% and the S&P 500 dropped 6.26%. In comparison, DivGro dropped 7.78% this month based on a time weighted return metric.



Portfolio: click on the triangle to see a snapshot of DivGro's state on 30 August 2015.

Goals Progress:
Below is a chart showing the progress I'm making on my 2015 goals. I'm ahead of pace on 4 of my goals and slightly behind on 2 other goals. As far as the remaining 2 goals are concerned, I'm very far behind. Some significant catching-up will be needed!
August Posts

I wrote only 6 articles in August, linked here in order of popularity by page views:
  1. Recent Sell: Baxter and Baxalta – explains why I sold this pair of stocks
  2. 16 Dividend Increases, August 3 to August 14, 2015includes dividend raise by DivGro holding MIC
  3. 6 Dividend Increases, July 27 to July 31, 2015 – no dividend raises by any DivGro holdings
  4. Recent Buy: Stag Industrial Inca REIT with a nice yield of 7.29%
  5. Recent Sell: PartnerRe LtdPRE agreed to be acquired, so I decided to move on
  6. Monthly Review, July 2015projected monthly dividend income increased to $554
Looking Ahead: I have enough funds for at least 2 buys. Additionally, I'm expecting solid dividend income this month, as September is an end-of-quarter month. 

I've updated my Performance page with the latest results. It provides a central place for reviewing DivGro's status and performance relative to the markets and to prior months.

Thanks for reading and take care, everybody!

10 comments :

  1. Sounds like you had a great cruise, FerdiS. I havent been on any cruises myself, but Ive been to Alaska, and it is one truly fantastic place...I just loved the snow covered mountains that we dont have here in the east.

    Looks like a solid month for you, FerdiS. Congrats on buying some quality companies and selling out the weak ones.

    Best wishes
    R2R

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi R2R -- thanks for commenting! Alaska is amazing and I want to go back there to visit for longer than just a few shore excursions. We had dinner with with friends in Juneau after seeing the Mendenhall Glacier. Their parents run a hotel in Denali, and I'd love to go there for an extended visit!

      I think I have more sells to be made in the last quarter! I'm working on upgrading my stock valuation system, so changes are coming!

      Take care
      FerdiS

      Delete
  2. Looks like a pretty good month despite the markets going a bit crazy. Great job increasing your dividends with 50%+ year over year growth. I've never been on a cruise but hope to change that at some point in the future. They always seem fun. I also can't wait to visit Alaska, although my Texas blood will have to go there in July or August or whenever they have their warmer weather. Thanks for the update.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi PIP -- August was kind of crazy, I agree... Increasing dividends more than 50% year over year is something to smile about!

      Cruises are great and surprisingly affordable if you have flexibility. You can get great "last minute" deals because cruise operators hate having empty cabins... See vacations.com.

      We were very fortunate weather-wise, considering it was the last cruise of the season. Blue skies in Seattle and Ketchikan, overcast but no rain in Juneau, and overcast and less than 10 minutes of sprinkles in Skagway. I agree, though -- next time I'll go in summer when the weather is warmer!

      Delete
  3. FerdiS, congrats on the anniversary and your folks Bdays! Wow, nice sounding trip. I took a cruise many moons ago wouldn't mind doing it again someday.

    Good solid buys, I picked up some O not long ago myself. I am in the $45 range there. Awesome on the forward dividends.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mike -- it was a great cruise! I've been quite busy at work leading up to the cruise, so it turned out to be a good time for a break.

      I'm revisiting the way I do stock valuations, so I'm expecting more changes to the portfolio in the next few months. But O is a keeper in my books.

      Cheers
      FerdiS

      Delete
  4. Looks like 2015 has turned out to be a killer year for you. Dividends will be over $5k for sure. As for the cruise, how was it? I've always wanted to go ever since the Love Boat :-), but never done it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Investment Hunting ~ things are going well and I'm making good progress on most of my goals.

      The cruise was amazing... I can definitely recommend doing it! This was our second and I'm looking forward to the third!

      Delete
  5. Congratulations on another great month, in spite of the market volatility. Encouraging for new dividend investors. Sounds like a fun cruise as well. Enjoyed the post!

    Laura Beth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Laura Beth -- best of luck with your dividend growth investment journey. We had a great time on the cruise... were very fortunate weather-wise!

      Delete

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