Dividend Increases: March 18-22, 2019

This article provides a summary of recent dividend increases and upcoming ex-dividend dates. I monitor dividend increases to identify candidates for further analysis.

In the past week, six companies declared dividend increases, including one of the stocks I own, Raytheon (RTN) with a very welcome 9% increase. The stock now yields 2.09% at $180 per share.

Dividend Increases: March 11-15, 2019

I monitor dividend increases to identify candidates for further analysis. Companies can only raise their dividends sustainably if they grow earnings sufficiently.

This article provides a summary of last week's dividend increases and upcoming ex-dividend dates. Two of my DivGro stocks will pay out higher dividends! Both are small increases but both companies increase their dividends multiple times every year.

All the Dogs!

Dogs of the Dow is an investment strategy that targets the ten top-yielding stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) for investment each year. Popularized by Michael B. O'Higgins in his 1991 book, Beating the Dow, this simple strategy frequently outperforms the DJIA and seems to outperform the index over longer periods of time.

The strategy is based on the idea that blue-chip companies pay consistent (and increasing) dividends, while their stock prices fluctuate based on market conditions. So, if the dividend yield is higher than usual, the stock price likely is lower than usual. Investors following this strategy should reap the benefits of higher yields and above-average stock-price gains.

I don't actively follow the Dogs of the Dow strategy, but I happen to own all the dogs in my DivGro Portfolio.

Dividend Increases: March 4-8, 2019

This article provides a summary of recent dividend increases and upcoming ex-dividend dates. I monitor dividend increases to identify candidates for further analysis. Companies can only raise their dividends sustainably if they grow earnings sufficiently.

This week, 11 companies in the CCC List announced dividend increases.

Two of my DivGro stocks will pay out higher dividends! One increase is 13% and the other is 10%. I don't see annual salary increases like that, so I'm very happy when my DivGro portfolio hands me such increases!

10 Dividend Growth Stocks For March 2019

Many dividend growth investors rely on the CCC list for their research. Focusing on stocks trading on U.S. exchanges, the list contains nearly 900 stocks that have consistently increased their calendar year payouts for at least the past 5 years. An accompanying spreadsheet providing key data on the CCC stocks is maintained by Justin Law.

With my monthly 10 Dividend Growth Stocks series, I rank a subset of CCC stocks and present the 10 top-ranked stocks for further research. My ranking system assigns letter grades to stocks relative to their performance among sector peers. Having a sector-oriented ranking system avoids the problems associated with ranking dissimilar stocks.

This month I decided to rank CCC stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector.

Dividend Increases: February 25-March 1, 2019 (Part 2: Remaining Sectors)

I like monitoring dividend increases for stocks on my watch list of dividend growth stocks because I consider such stocks to be candidates for further analysis. Companies that regularly raise their dividend payments show confidence in future earnings growth potential.

This two-part article provides a summary of recent dividend increases. Part 1 covers dividend increases announced for stocks in the Industrials and sectors. Part 2 will cover dividend increases from stocks in the remaining sectors.

Dividend Increases: February 25-March 1, 2019 (Part 1: Industrials and Financials Sectors)

I like monitoring dividend increases for stocks on my watch list of dividend growth stocks because I consider such stocks to be candidates for further analysis. Companies that regularly raise their dividend payments show confidence in future earnings growth potential.

This two-part article provides a summary of recent dividend increases. Part 1 covers dividend increases announced for stocks in the Industrials and sectors. Part 2 will cover dividend increases from stocks in the remaining sectors.

Monthly Review of DivGro: February 2019

Every month, I write a review of my portfolio of dividend growth stocks, DivGro. The goal of these monthly reviews is to share updates I've made to the portfolio and to provide a summary of dividends collected. Additionally, I look at how the month's activities have impacted DivGro's projected annual dividend income (PADI).

In February, I opened four new positions and added shares to nine existing positions. Additionally, I closed six positions and reduced my holdings in three positions. A total of 19 DivGro stocks announced dividend increases in February. The net result of these changes is that PADI increased by about 1.0% in February. Year over year, PADI increased by 42.3%.

As for dividend income, in February I received dividends totaling $1,739 from 21 stocks in my portfolio, a year over year increase of 54%. So far in 2019, I've collected $3,504 in dividends or about 14% of my 2019 goal of $25,200.

Options Update: February 2019 (Part 2)

February was a busy month for options trading, so I split my Options Update article into two parts.

Part 1 covered options assignments, expired options, and closed options, and I looked at options expiring in March and April to see what to be look out for.

In Part 2, I'm presenting the covered calls and put contracts executed in February and conclude with the usual running tally of options income received versus options income secured.

Options Update: February 2019 (Part 1)

Welcome to another Options Update article!

I write monthly options update articles to summarize options trades and to keep track of my options income. Each update also serves as a status report on open options and the obligations I potentially have.

DivGro's focus continues to be dividend growth investing. Options trading is a sideline activity. I sell puts on stocks I would like to own and covered calls on stocks I already own. The options income allows me to buy more dividend growth stocks, which in turn boosts DivGro's projected annual dividend income.