Top Holdings Of Dividend ETFs (Part 2: The Top 7 By Sector In May 2019)

In Part 1 of this article, I presented the top 50 holdings of dividend ETFs, ranked by using a proportional scoring system that favors larger investments and larger ETFs. The top-ranked stock in May 2019 is Verizon Communications (VZ), followed AT&T (T), and Exxon Mobil (XOM).

Because there are no Materials and Real Estate sector stocks in the top 50, it would be useful to consider the top-ranked stocks in those sectors regardless of their overall ranking. Therefore, I'm showcasing the top 7 stocks in each GICS sector in Part 2 of the article.

Dividend Increases: May 20-24, 2019

Last week, nine companies on my watch list announced dividend increases. This article provides a summary and highlights three stocks with FAST Graphs.

Additionally, I provide a summary of upcoming ex-dividends.

I monitor dividend increases for stocks on my watch list of dividend growth stocks to identify candidates for further analysis.

Dividend Increases: May 13-17, 2019

Companies that regularly increase dividends show confidence in future earnings growth potential.

I monitor dividend increases for stocks on my watch list of dividend growth stocks to identify candidates for further analysis.

Last week, ten companies declared dividend increases, including two of the stocks I own.

Top Holdings Of Dividend ETFs (Part 1: The Top 50 In May 2019)

From time to time, I compile a virtual portfolio consisting of the top 50 holdings of dividend ETFs. To compile the portfolio, I analyze the top 25 holdings in each ETF and assign scores proportional to the size of each holding. Summing the scores of individual holdings allows me to rank them by popularity, and so to find the top holdings of these dividend ETFs.

Dividend growth investors can compare their own portfolios to the top 50 and identify candidates for analysis and investment.

For the May edition, I analyzed 52 dividend ETFs. Of the 1,293 tickers found in the top 25 holdings of these ETFs, 448 are unique. The top-ranked stock is Verizon Communications (VZ), which appears in 31 of the 52 dividend ETFs—the most of any stocks.

Dividend Increases: May 6-10, 2019 (Part 3: Remaining Sectors)

I monitor dividend increases for stocks on my watch list of dividend growth stocks to identify candidates for further analysis. Companies that regularly increase their dividends show confidence in future earnings growth potential.

Last week, 27 companies on my watch list announced dividend increases. Part 1 covered stocks in the Industrials and Materials sectors, while Part 2 covered the Consumer Discretionary and Information Technology sectors. This is Part 3, which covers the remaining sectors.

Dividend Increases: May 6-10, 2019 (Part 2: Consumer Discretionary And Information Technology Sectors)

Last week, 27 companies in the CCC List announced dividend increases. When so many companies increasing their dividends, I  break up my summary articles into two or more parts. That way, the articles aren't too long and I can include more FASTgraphs charts of stocks with compelling earnings growth.

Part 1 of this three-part article dividend increases announced for stocks in the Industrials and Materials sectors. This is Part 2, which covers dividend increases of stocks in the Consumer Discretionary and Information Technology sectors. In Part 3, I'll report on dividend increases for the remaining sectors.

Dividend Increases: May 6-10, 2019 (Part 1: Industrials And Materials Sectors)

Last week, 27 of the companies I track announced dividend increases. This three-part article provides a summary of these increases and provides several FASTGraph charts of stocks that exhibit impressive earnings growth.

I like to monitor dividend increases because companies that regularly increase their dividends are good candidates for analysis and possible investment.

Part 1 of this article covers dividend increases announced for stocks in the Industrials and Materials sectors. Part 2 and Part 3 will cover dividend increases of stocks in the remaining sectors.

10 Dividend Growth Stocks For May 2019

The CCC list is a great resource for dividend growth investors. 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 5 consecutive 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 Industrials sector.

Dividend Increases: April 29-May 3, 2019

Companies that regularly increase dividends show confidence in future earnings growth potential.

I monitor dividend increases for stocks on my watch list of dividend growth stocks to identify candidates for further analysis.

Last week, 17 companies declared dividend increases, including 3 of the stocks I own.

Monthly Review of DivGro: April 2019

Welcome to the April review of DivGro, my portfolio of dividend growth stocks. The goal of these monthly reviews is to share updates I've made to the portfolio and to provide a summary of dividends collected. I also consider the impact on DivGro's projected annual dividend income (PADI).

In April, I added shares to four existing positions and I trimmed one of my positions. Additionally, I closed two positions. Five DivGro stocks announced dividend increases in April. The net result of these changes is that PADI decreased by about 0.2% in April. Year over year, PADI increased by 35.0%.

DivGro now contains 80 different positions, including 71 dividend growth stocks, four dividend-paying stocks, one closed-end fund, and four growth stocks that don't yet pay dividends.

Options Update: April 2019

Welcome to my monthly options update article!

The stock market has recovered most (if not all) of last year's end-of-year losses, and I've been getting a little more cautious with my options trades. So this month has been quieter than usual.

I decided to buy back one of the PG covered call options I sold, which got away from me as the stock burst higher. The transaction cost me some of my accumulated 2019 options income, so I lost some ground on my 2019 options income goal, unfortunately. (Recall that my options goal in 2019 is to collect a total of $21,000 in options income).

Summary Of Dividend Increases In Q1-2019

I like monitoring dividend increases for a selection of stocks in the CCC list because I consider such stocks to be worthy candidates for further analysis. The following screens determine the selection:

     • Dividend Yield ≥ 1.0%
     • Market cap ≥ $1 billion
     • No stocks that are being acquired
     • No Over-The-Counter or Pink Sheet stocks

This article provides a summary of dividend increases announced in the first quarter of 2019 (Q1-2019), as summarized in my weekly Dividend Increases article series.

Dividend Increases: April 22-26, 2019 (Part 2: Remaining Sectors)

Companies that regularly increase their dividends show confidence in the potential growth of future earnings. I monitor dividend increases to identify candidates for further analysis.

Part 1 of this article covered dividend increases announced for stocks in the Industrials and Financials Sectors.

This is Part 2, which covers the remaining sectors.

Dividend Increases: April 22-26, 2019 (Part 1: Industrials And Financials)

I monitor dividend increases for stocks on my watch list of dividend growth stocks to identify candidates for further analysis. Companies that regularly increase their dividends show confidence in future earnings growth potential.

In this two-part article, I provide a summary of recent dividend increases. Part 1 covers dividend increases announced for stocks in the Industrials and Financials sectors. Part 2 will cover dividend increases from stocks in the remaining sectors.

10 Dividend Growth Stocks For April 2019

The CCC list is a great resource for dividend growth investors. The list contains nearly 900 stocks trading on U.S. exchanges with the distinction of having paid higher dividends for at least 5 consecutive calendar years. The list was created by the late David Fish and now is maintained by Justin Law.

In this article, 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 Information Technology sector.

Quarterly Review of DivGro: Q1-2019

Welcome to another quarterly review of DivGro, my portfolio of dividend growth stocks.

My quarterly reviews provide a summary of dividend income, dividend changes, and transactions executed in the past quarter. I also provide some charts showing various portfolio statistics. While these reviews are mostly informational, they help me to track progress over time.

This quarter, DivGro generated about $6,724 in dividend income and I'm projecting dividend income of at least $6,580 per quarter going forward. The year-to-date dividend income total represents about 27% of my 2019 goal of $25,200. DivGro's all-time dividend income total is $72,170.

Dividend Increases: April 8-19, 2019

With earnings season picking up, several companies declared dividend increases in the past two weeks, including two of my DivGro stocks!

I like to monitor dividend increases for stocks on my watch list because it helps me identify candidates for further analysis.

Two of the announced dividend increases are double digit percentage increases.

Ten High-Quality Dividend Growth Stocks Trading Well Above Fair Value

In a recent companion article, I presented ten high-quality dividend growth stocks that are trading well below fair value. I presented 7-year yield channel charts for each stock to illustrate how the price line has moved lower to meet the undervalued yield line.

This article considers the opposite scenario, presenting ten high-quality dividend growth stocks that are trading well above fair value (at least when considering current yield relative to historical yield patterns).

In my view, it is useful to know when a stock becomes overvalued. I don't want to buy shares of a stock at premium prices. And, in some scenarios, replacing an overvalued stock with an equivalent undervalued stock can be quite lucrative. One could earn a higher yield and also increase the upside potential of your investment dollars. On the other hand, when selling an overvalued stock you're likely making a profit, which will be taxed as capital gains in the case of taxable accounts.

Ten High-Quality Dividend Growth Stocks Trading Well Below Fair Value

I'm rebooting my series of DivGro Pulse articles to focus on high-quality dividend growth stocks trading at extreme yield levels.

When such stocks are trading at historically high yields, they are undervalued and worth considering as potential buys. Conversely, when these stocks are trading at historically low yields, they are overvalued and candidates for potential sells.

Last year I wrote an article about Yield Channel Charts, a tool for dividend growth investors to assess market valuation relative to historical yield patterns. Yield channels can be seen as "safety zones" for stock prices. As long as the stock price stays near the center of the yield channel, the stock is fairly valued.

Dividend Increases: April 1-5, 2019

Companies that regularly raise their dividend payments show confidence in future earnings growth potential.

One way to identify dividend growth stocks for further analysis is to monitor dividend increases.

Last week, three companies announced dividend increases, including one of the stocks I own. And it happens to be the largest dividend increase I'm reporting today!

Aflac: Japan’s Largest Cancer Insurer

By Peter Bosworth of www.wealthyretirement.com.

Until recently, cancer was a taboo word in Japan.

In 1987 Emperor Hirohito underwent surgery for internal hemorrhaging due to a cancerous small intestine. Japanese officials stoutly denied there were any signs of cancer, though to the Japanese public the writing was on the wall.

It was common then for cancer patients to be denied the right to know their diagnosis. Later on, instead of outright denial, doctors would dance around the issue, and give certain nonverbal hints to patients. A 1988 piece on the subject from the Los Angeles Time quotes Hiroshi Wagatsuma, an anthropologist who researched this tacit communication: “Even if the doctor says nothing, the patient knows that he has cancer; and though nothing is said, the doctor knows that the patient knows.”

Monthly Review of DivGro: March 2019

Welcome to the March review of DivGro, my portfolio of dividend growth stocks! Quarter-ending months are exciting, as many of the stocks I own pay dividends in these months and I usually set a new record for monthly dividend income in quarter-ending months.

March did not disappoint! I received dividends totaling $3,220 from 43 stocks in my portfolio, a new record for monthly dividend income! Year over year, DivGro's dividend income increased by 28%. So far in 2019, I've collected $6,724 in dividends or about 27% of my 2019 goal of $25,200.

Looking at how the month's activities impacted DivGro's projected annual dividend income (PADI), I note that five DivGro stocks announced dividend increases in March. Additionally, I opened one new position and added shares to five existing positions. On the other hand, I closed out one high-yielding position. Unfortunately, the net result of these changes is that projected annual dividend income (PADI) decreased by about 0.6% in March. Year over year, PADI increased by 39%.

Options Update: March 2019

March was another busy month for options trading. I collected nearly $2,500 in options income this month and I'm happy to report that I'm now ahead of pace as far as my options income goal for 2019 is concerned.

As usual, this article will cover options transactions I executed this month, and I'll summarize the options that will expire in April and May. I'll conclude with the usual running tally of options income received versus options income secured.

Dividend Increases: March 25-29, 2019

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

Last week, three companies I monitor announced dividend increases. This article provides a summary and includes a table of ex-dividend dates for the next two weeks.

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.