Weekly Investment Activity – First Week of December

Weekly Investment Activity – First Week of December

Hi everyone,

This posting will detail my investment activity for the first week of December, as I did not get a chance to write a post all week.  Work and family has kept me really busy, so I haven’t had much time to blog about my ongoing investment activity.  I will be posting a separate posting to detail my current weekly activity, as I’m still trying to actively contribute to my dividend portfolio and/or retirement account on a weekly basis.  I had one ‘larger’ buy during this week, as I already posted about.  In addition, I continued investing smaller amounts in my Loyal3 account and through direct investment plans. 

Dividend Growth Investing:

During the week, I made one purchase in my main brokerage account, as discussed in a separate posting.  This was an untimely purchase, as the stock has significantly dropped since the purchase, but the long term outlook remains positive in my opinion.  I added to my position in BP p.l.c. (BP), which I initially initiated in November.  I purchased 15 more shares of BP, at a purchase price of $39.60 per share, for a total investment of $594.  With that purchase price, it provided a Yield on Cost (YOC) of 6.06% with an annual dividend payment of $2.40 per share.  This new purchase brings my total position of BP to 37 shares and lowers my cost basis to $40.58 per share.  As of closing this past Friday, BP is trading at $36.24.  I’ve been contemplating adding to my position at these levels, and will make a decision this coming week to see where I allocate my capital. 

I've toned down my trading in Loyal3 lately without the credit card perk, but did manage to make a few small trades.  I continued making small ongoing purchases, and this week I invested $70.00 in three companies.  I contributed $25.00 to the Walt Disney Co. (DIS) and $25.00 to Unilever (UL).  Lastly, I contributed $20.00 to the Target Corp. (TGT).  Not much, but I figure even these small amounts will dramatically add up over the long term. 

In my direct investment plans, I had a few contributions go through in my ongoing investment accounts.  I had a contribution to Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), as I invested $50.00 that added 0.99167 shares to my position.  In addition, I contributed $65.00 to my Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) account, which purchased 0.693831 shares.

Lastly, I had a few automatic dividend reinvestments go through.  I received $1.70 from ConocoPhillips (COP), which was reinvested to 0.02575 shares.  Ford Motor Co. (F) paid a quarterly dividend of $6.38, which was reinvested for 0.406 shares.  I’ll be selectively reinvesting dividends that I receive in my Loyal3 account and will only detail them in my Loyal3 activity.

Overall, I invested $787.08 for the week, which was used to add to current positions.  I invested in seven companies, which were BP, COP, F, DIS, UL, VZ and TGT.  I’ve been saving for another larger purchase this month, with the energy sector still remaining the most logical option.  However, as I discussed earlier, I would like to initiate a position in the financial sector and still have BNS on my short list.  Thank you for checking out my blog and for all the support!

Monthly Investment Activity for November - Dividend Growth Investing

Monthly Investment Activity for November - $3589 invested!

Hi everyone! 

            I wanted to make a post that summed up all my investment activity for the month of November.  I continued making numerous smaller purchases of stock this past month, as I build my portfolio slowly but surely in my personal financial growth journey.  Overall, I was able to invest $3587.83 in November, as it was spread out in my multiple accounts, such as Loyal3, main brokerage and my Thrift Savings Plan.  Anyways, not too shabby of a month because it blew away my goal of investing at least $1500 monthly. 

            I had three purchases in my main brokerage account this month, as I initiated positions in two new companies.  As most of my fellow bloggers have been doing lately, I tried to take advantage of the depressed oil prices and used all three purchases on oil related stocks.  My first stock purchase of the month went to BP p.l.c. (BP), as it has been on a slide downwards since the summer.  I purchased 22 shares of BP at a share price of $41.25 for a total of $907.50.  I’ve added to that total already in December to give me a larger stake and to average down on my cost basis.  My other two buys were both smaller amounts in the same company, BHP Billiton p.l.c. (BBL).  On the first buy, I purchased 11 shares of BBL at a share price of $50.13 for a total amount of $551.43.  The following week I added 10 shares of BBL at share price of $50.44, which totaled $504.40.  Overall, I purchased 21 shares of BBL at a total price of $1055.83.  I should have waited another week or so for the BBL purchase, as it has gone down significantly since, oh well!  It’s a long term investment, so I’m sure I’ll be happy in the long run. 

            I continued to make monthly purchases in some select companies this month, as I build my positions.  I contributed to four companies that I already hold, which are Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), ConocoPhillips (COP), Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) and The Proctor & Gamble Co. (PG).  First, I contributed $65.00 to XOM that purchased me 0.689535 shares.  Secondly, I contributed $110 to COP, adding 1.621278 shares to my total.  Third, I added 0.35544 shares of LMT with a purchase of price of $66.00.  Lastly, I picked up 0.560789 shares of PG for $50.00.  I plan on continuing to invest on a monthly basis in these companies, along with Verizon (VZ) for the foreseeable future through direct investment plans. 

            In my Loyal3 account, I made investments in six companies.  I initiated a new position in Unilever (UL) and added to five previous holdings, KO, MCD, DIS, TGT and WMT.  In total, I invested $495 in new capital this month.  Here are the following additions in my Loyal3 account:

            Unilever (UL): $210 invested

            The Coca-Cola Co. (KO):  $95 invested

            McDonald’s (MCD):  $25 invested

            The Walt Disney Co. (DIS):  $95 invested

            Target Corp. (TGT):  $35 invested

            Wal-Mart Corp. (WMT):  $35 invested

            My Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) saw two contributions during November.  I was able to invest $827 in my TSP account, as it was invested through bi-weekly contributions.  I continued to contribute to the C Fund, S Fund and I Fund, and kept my allocations at 52%, 28% and 20% respectively.  Of note, the value of my TSP account crossed over the $50,000 mark, so I was really happy with that milestone.  Next stop, 100k! 

            I had two automatic DRIPs (Dividend Reinvestment Plan) go through for the month.  I received a dividend of $9.43 from Apple Inc. (AAPL), which was reinvested into .087 shares.  In addition, I received $2.07 from PG that was reinvested to .02359 shares.  The dividends I received in my Loyal3 account were just added to my purchases that I listed above. 

            Overall, a solid month of investing, as I was able to invest $3587.83 in total.  I can’t believe that in 2014 is almost gone!  One more month to add to my 2014 totals, as I’ve passed by dividend income goal for the year and now it’s onto my 2015 goal of $1000.  Thanks so much for all the support and comments, I really appreciate it. 

Special Agent Dividend

New Stock Purchase – Not BBL this time

New Dividend Growth Buy – Not BBL this time

Hello everyone!

     Well, I've made my first buy of the month of December (didn't take too long).  I planned on making two purchases for the month, if feasible with available funding.  I knew I would most likely be buying an oil related stock for one of the purchases, as I had to take advantage of the big oil drop.  I missed the Black Friday drop in the oil sector and was kicking myself the whole weekend, so I couldn't wait to pull the trigger on Monday, if the pricing was right.  To my surprise, oil stocks have rallied for the most part this week.  But, luckily, I bought first thing Monday morning and still got a very good price, in my opinion.  We will have to see where the market takes us with the oil companies for the remainder of the year, as it is kind of shocking for such a rally after oil has been hit so hard. 

     I had narrowed down my 1^st choice for investment in the energy sector to BP p.l.c. (BP), as I already actively contribute in a direct investment plan in Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and ConocoPhillips (COP).  During the past two weeks, I had made small purchases of BHP Billiton p.l.c. (BBL), so it was hard not to add to it with a huge drop on Black Friday.  But, I decided to wait and see how it plays out before adding more BBL at this time with limited capital.  In addition, I initiated a small position in BP at the beginning of November, so I was looking to add to it soon.  In that purchase, I bought 22 shares of BP at a share price of $41.25.  The Yield on Cost (YOC) was a very nice 5.82%. 

     On Monday, I decided to add to my position in BP, so I purchased 15 more shares of BP.  I missed the 52 week low on Monday, but still made the purchase at $39.60 per share, which I consider a very good value at that price point.  With that purchase price, it provided a YOC of 6.06% with an annual dividend payment of $2.40 per share.  This new purchase brings my total position of BP to 37 shares and lowers my cost basis to $40.58 per share. 

     This week has seen a rise in the price of BP, as it was trading today up to $41.59 and closed at $41.31.  Much of the rise has been attributed to the rumor mill, as rumors were flying of a possible merger between BP and Royal Dutch Shell p.l.c. (ADR).  However, I haven’t seen anything of substance to substantiate this claim, so we will have to see how that all plays out. 

     Besides my ongoing monthly purchases, I will be looking in other places besides oil for the remainder of the month to initiate a position, such as in the healthcare or financial sectors, as I detailed in my Watchlist.  Thanks for stopping by and please let me know what you think of this purchase.  Anyone else pick up any oil plays this week? 

Special Agent Dividend

Monthly Dividend and Passive Income Update from November

Monthly Dividend and Passive Income Update from November

During the month of November 2014, I received several forms of ‘passive’ income, which I will detail below.  I’m hoping this number keeps growing, especially in the dividend department, as that is what this journey is all about.  I’m amazed at the numbers of my fellow bloggers within our little investing community produce month in and month out, which serves as proof of how effective continual investing and compounding are.  This journey is slow and arduous, but can produce amazing numbers over an extended period of time.  Without further ado, I’ll detail my passive income for the month of November. 

Dividends:

This month I set a new high (if you can call it that!), although that is expected with my paltry numbers with just starting out and finally some new buys are beginning to pay the first dividend in the next month or so.  I’m expecting my December numbers to be a little more respectable, but I’m really excited to see how it will turn out through 2015.  Three companies and a savings account at my credit union made dividend payments this month.  My largest dividend payment came from Apple Inc. (AAPL), which paid me $10.06 in a quarterly payment.  Secondly, Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) made a payment of $1.92 for the quarter.  I received a quarterly payment of $2.07 from The Proctor & Gamble Company (PG).  My last dividend of the month came from my credit union savings account, as I received a $9.57 dividend payment.  I receive a monthly dividend from my credit union account, while the three above stocks pay out quarterly.  In sum, I received $23.62 in dividend payments this month. 

Summary:

AAPL:  $10.06

VZ:  $1.92

PG:  $2.07

Banking Account:  $9.57

 

Rental Income – Investment Property:

            This month I had no change in my income from my rental property, as it has been stable with an active renter that pays on time.  For the month of November, my net positive cash flow was $325.  This is the number after my management fees and mortgage payment.  This number can vary monthly, as some expenses may pop up for upkeep or if the house is not rented, etc. 

 

Other forms of passive income:

            Lastly, this is the catch-all spot, as I try to make the most of getting ‘free money’ if you will.  One example is my rewards credit card.  It is an area I fully take advantage of, as I use my rewards card for any purchase that I can to reap the benefits.  In November, I received $50.00 in cash back from my use of the credit card for the month, as I only used it for my everyday purchases and bills.  As a word of caution, I do pay my balance off on a monthly basis, so I do not carry a balance over and get hit with interest fees.  In addition, I use Swagbucks, so I was able to obtain a $10 Amazon Gift Card for its use.  To those unfamiliar with Swagbucks, it rewards you for certain actions, such as just searching the web, completing surveys, watching videos, etc.  It’s very easy to use and you can rack up some points fairly quickly just by using it to search the web, in lieu of yahoo or google, or using their links to sites, such as Amazon to make purchases.  I’ve been using it for quite a long time and usually average around $10 a month in free gift cards or try to save up for $25 in PayPal cash deposited into your checking account.  To anyone interested, here is a referral link, http://www.swagbucks.com/p/register?rb=12151636.  Once you are signed up, you can send the referrals to friends and family and receive a percentage of points based off their activity (I think around 10%).  For example, my wife is signed up under my account, so it’s a way to double dip, per se. 

 

Summary:

            Overall, during the month of November, I received $408.62 in ‘passive’ income, with the majority coming from my investment property.  I’m hoping to grow this number substantially, as I actively invest and build my dividend growth portfolio.  It’s not a huge number for sure, but every little bit counts!  Thank you for stopping by and please feel free to comment. 

 

Watchlist for December Stock Purchases

Hello everyone,

As it is the beginning of the month, I wanted to detail my stock watch list for December, as I plan on making two purchases this month.  These will be in addition to my regular monthly investments, as I leverage small buys to build positions in some core holdings in my portfolio, such as Proctor & Gamble Company (PG), The Walt Disney Company (DIS) and Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM).  All the buzz of the market now is related to oil and energy based companies, as oil has been on a continual decline since this summer and really hammered on Black Friday.  I've taken advantage of the decline, as I've initiated new positions in BP p.l.c. (BP) and BHP Billiton p.l.c. (BBL) during the past few weeks.  In addition, I continue to invest in XOM and ConocoPhillips (COP) on a monthly basis. 

As of now, I plan on making two purchases during December.  I would like to at least invest in one non-oil based company in one of the two purchases, as I’m getting very heavy in my small portfolio in the energy sector.  As some have suggested in comments, two areas I should consider is the financial sector and the healthcare sector.   

One of the investments I've been considering in the financial realm is the Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS).  I've seen a few fellow bloggers that have picked it up lately, such as roadmap2retire.  As of today, BNS was trading at around $61-$62 and sporting a nice yield of around 3.85%.  BNS is trading at a P/E of around 11.77.  The 52 week low of BNS is $53.94, so it is quite a bit off from that, but still a decent value at this price point.  Here is a summary of BNS:

Bank of Nova Scotia was founded in the state of Canada on March 30, 1832. It commenced operations in Halifax. The Bank is a full-service financial institution, which operates its business in four business lines: Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Wealth Management and Scotia Capital. Canadian Banking provides a comprehensive array of retail and commercial banking services through branch and electronic delivery channels, to individuals and small to medium-sized businesses in Canada. The retail services include consumer and mortgage lending, credit and debit card services, savings and retirement products, and transaction services.

Concerning the healthcare sector, I've narrowed my possible investment choice to GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK).  The recent closing price was $46.92, which is well off its 52 week high of $56.73.  At the current trading price, the yield is approximately 5.30%.  Summary of GSK:

GlaxoSmithKline PLC incorporated in United Kingdom. The Company creates discovers, develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products including vaccines, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and health-related consumer products. The Company's principal pharmaceutical products include medicines in the following therapeutic areas: respiratory, anti-viral, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, anti-bacterial, oncology and emesis, dermatology, rare diseases, immuno-inflammation, vaccines and HIV. The Company is a science-led global healthcare company that researches and develops a broad range of innovative products in three primary areas of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and consumer healthcare. Its Pharmaceuticals business develops and makes medicines to treat a broad range of acute and chronic diseases. Its portfolio is made up of both patent-protected and off patent medicines. Its products include treatment for Infectious Diseases, Cancer, Epilepsy, Heart Disease, Asthma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and HIV/AIDS. Its Vaccine business has approximately 900 million doses distributed to 170 countries in 2012. It produces pediatric and adult vaccines to prevent a range of infectious diseases including: Hepatitis A and B, Diphtheria, Tetanus and Whooping cough, Measles, Mumps and Rubella, Polio, Typhoid, Influenza, Bacterial Meningitis. The consumer healthcare business, markets consumer health products based on scientific innovation. Its products main categories are: Oral care, Nutritional, Total wellness, and Skin health. Its brands include Sensodyne, Panadol and Horlicks. Its drinks brands are Lucozade and Ribena. The Oral Care brands, alli and Abreva.

I plan on taking advantage of the oil slide as well, and after adding BBL the past few weeks, my first choice right now is BP.  I have a small position in BP and was planning on adding to it at some point, so the drop has opened up that opportunity.  At the current price, BP is yielding a very impressive 6.10%.  I’ll be on the lookout for other opportunities of course, and will be actively watching energy stocks this week. 

What do you think of GSK, BNS, BP?  Any other suggestions? 

Weekly Investment Activity – Dividend Growth Investing

Weekly Investment Activity – Dividend Growth Investing

Hello everyone,

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the year is almost up.  Time flies!  In that regard, another week is in the books and with it being a short week here in the states, it flew by.  I had some investments go through during the week, as I added to existing positions through my main brokerage, Loyal3 and direct investing.  In addition, I contributed to my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and saved some extra capital for another purchase.  I ended up missing a buy on Friday, as I completely forgot that the NYSE was closing early and was trying to watch how far energy stocks would slide.  Oh well, there is always Monday and I’m hoping to add to my BBL or BP position.  This posting will detail my investment activity from November 24 to November 28. 

Dividend Growth Investing:

I made one purchase in my main brokerage account.  I added to my position in BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL), which I had just initiated last week.  It was hard to resist, as BHP has been severely hammered since the summer and it is allowing a nice entry point to invest.  Furthermore, the Yield on Cost (YOC) is hanging around near 5%, which is just too tempting.  I bought 10 shares at $50.44 per share for a total price of $504.40, which brings me to a position total of 21 shares. 

In my direct investment account, I had one buy go through, as I contributed $55.00 to my ConocoPhillips (COP) investment.  The share price was $65.97, which purchased me 0.833712 shares.  I now have 4.455058 shares of COP, which I’m slowly accumulating through monthly purchases. 

Lastly, I had several small purchases executed in my Loyal3 account.  I’m beginning to tone down these purchases without the credit card benefit, especially with better value in stocks not available through Loyal3.  I contributed $35.00 to add to my Unilever (UL) position, which added 0.8406 shares at a share price of $41.64.  In addition, I contributed $25.00 to add to my Walt Disney Co. (DIS) position, as it purchased me 0.2724 shares at a share price of $91.79. 

Breakdown:

BHP Billiton PLC (BBL): $504.40 invested for 10 shares

ConocoPhillips (COP): $55.00 invested for 0.833712 shares

Unilever (UL):  $35.00 invested for 0.8406 shares

The Walt Disney Co. (DIS):  $25.00 invested for 0.2724 shares

Thrift Savings Plan:

During the week, I had a bi-weekly contribution to my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account.  I contributed approximately $415, which was spread out between the C Fund (Common Stock Index), S Fund (Small Cap Stock Index) and the I Fund (International Stock Index).  The allocations were spread out at 52%, 28% and 20% respectively.  Also, as another milestone, my TSP account now sits above $50,000! 

Summary:

Well another week down, as I keep adding weekly to my portfolio.  Something I noted when I was writing this post is that I have made a weekly purchase since starting this blog, which is awesome!  I doubt I can keep up the pace but I’m trying to really kick start my portfolio in overdrive to benefit from the compounding effect.  Overall, I was able to invest $1,034.40 this week, as I added to four (4) positions, BBL, COP, DIS and UL, and I added to my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).  

Special Agent Dividend

New Stock Purchase - BBL Again!

New Stock Purchase – BBL Again! 

     Well this week I decided to add to my small position in BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL), as the price stayed depressed and I think it is one of the more attractive values in the market today.  In that regard, it stayed at the top of my watch list and I pulled the trigger again when the price sank on Tuesday.  I ended up buying 10 shares at a cost per share of $50.44, which is slightly higher than my $50.13 I paid last week.  In total, I paid $504.40, which added $24.80 to my forward annual dividend income. 

Quick summary of BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL): 

BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL) has a diverse business, as it is engaged in mineral and oil/gas exploration, development, production and processing.  According to USAA Brokerage, two analysts have recommended BBL as a Strong Buy, while two have it listed as a hold.  However, the average consensus of the analysts’ has a 12 month target price of $65.93, with a range up to $73.60.  As you can see from the chart below, the BBL stock price has been hammered, especially starting in late July.  This gives an excellent opportunity to initiate or add to a position with BBL.  The main concerns driving the prices down seem to stem from the de-merger of some assets of BHP BILLITON and the overall weakness in oil since the summer. 

     

     Overall, BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL) seems to be attractively valued at the moment, as most stocks have soared to near 52 week or all time highs.  In addition, the drop in share price has allowed a very nice Yield on Cost (YOC) of near 5%!  I have noticed numerous fellow bloggers taking advantage of the drop in BBL, along with other energy / oil based companies.  It is one of the better sectors for value at the moment, so I think we are all on the same page.  I’ll continue to watch for good prices in the energy sector, but I’ll also be on the lookout to diversify into the financial sector soon. 

Summary:

     I added 10 shares of BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL) at a purchase price of $50.44 per share to my position, which now gives me 21 shares of BBL.  My forward annual dividend income from BBL is now $52.08, which gives me a total of $288.80 annual dividend income.  I have made a few other small purchases this week, along with a 401k contribution, which I will detail in my weekly summary in a day or two.  Thanks again for checking out my blog and following along with my journey, as it is much appreciated. 

Special Agent Dividend

Portfolio and Addition of Portfolio Page

Hi everyone,

At the suggestion of  Write Your Own Reality, I’m planning on creating a portfolio page.  This page will be updated at the first of the month (or when I find some time near the first).  Of course, I will be documenting all my purchases on a weekly basis through postings on agentdividend.com.  The portfolio will only include my individual stocks that I hold, and will not include my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and other mutual funds.  It is a work in progress, as I’m trying to build from scratch after I began this long journey three months ago.  I welcome any comments, suggestions or critiques, as that is what I love about our investing community.  We are all here on the same journey and I’d love to help others achieve their goals and welcome the opinion of others to assist me on my way. 

As of today, the value of the Non-Top Secret Portfolio stands at $9,265.17.  It consists of seventeen (17) companies, which are all in the phase of me building a full position.  My largest holding is Apple Inc. (AAPL), as it was the first individual stock purchase I made when I began the journey.  While it is not a stereotypical dividend investor’s stock, per se, I believe the growth of the dividend will rise dramatically, along with capital gains.   In addition, I’ve been adding some energy/oil based companies of late, as I find them to be at the best value at the moment in this bull market.  Here is my current portfolio, as of November 26, 2014:

Non-Top Secret Portfolio

Company	Shares	Market Value	Market Weight	Yield	Quarterly Dividend	Annual Dividend
AAPL	21.4762	$2,553.52	27.56%	1.58%	0.47	$40.38
TGT	6.831	$491.76	5.31%	2.89%	0.52	$14.21
KO	10.878	$481.03	5.19%	2.76%	0.305	$13.27
DPS	1.409	$102.77	1.11%	2.25%	0.41	$2.31
WMT	2.2551	$191.41	2.07%	2.26%	0.48	$4.33
MCD	4.0454	$389.33	4.20%	3.53%	0.85	$13.75
LMT	1.791737	$338.76	3.66%	3.28%	1.55	$11.11
COP	3.621294	$258.20	2.79%	4.10%	0.73	$10.57
VZ	4.709731	$234.73	2.53%	4.41%	0.55	$10.36
XOM	5.482361	$520.61	5.62%	2.91%	0.69	$15.13
INTC	0.8934	$32.87	0.35%	2.45%	0.225	$0.80
PG	3.798822	$337.15	3.64%	2.90%	0.6436	$9.78
DIS	3.5071	$321.95	3.47%	0.94%	0.215	$3.02
F	51	$797.64	8.61%	3.20%	0.125	$25.50
BP	22	$917.40	9.90%	5.76%	0.6	$52.80
UL	5.4777	$227.98	2.46%	3.48%	0.3625	$7.94
BBL	21	$1,068.06	11.53%	4.88%	0.62	$52.08
Total Value		$9,265.17		3.10%	Est Annual Dividend	$287.35

I’ll be adding a page of my blog with this information later today.  Thank you again for all the support. 

Special Agent Dividend