March is gone, but spring is here! Here in my corner of the Pacific Northwest, March started off with winter’s last gasp and it ended with mostly sunshine and the local flora blooming all around. I’m sure my pollen allergies will kick in later this month. That’s something I look forward to this spring and early summer. I’m glad to report that, while my dividend investing portfolio has still not fully recovered from December’s market correction, it has improved over February’s nearly flatline growth.
So how was March’s dividend total? Let’s do the numbers and see…
AWP $ 55.00
BGY $ 33.80*
CHW $ 21.00*
CIK $ 22.50*
CLM $ 41.06
DHY $ 33.25
DMF $ 10.50
DSM $ 19.25
EAD $ 9.57
EDF $ 45.00*
EHI $ 24.40
EXG $ 92.40*
HQL $ 57.75
NCV $ 45.50
OIA $ 4.10
PFN $ 36.00
RA $ 69.85
USA $ 41.25
VFL $ 15.00
ZTR $ 33.90
TOTAL $711.08
* Includes Return of Capital
As expected, March was my worst month of the quarter. However, March’s total of $711.08 was a bit more than I had expected.
Regarding dividend cuts, the only surprise was EAD slightly trimming its dividend from 6.02 cents per share to 5.98 cents (-0.66% cut). The pain of the expected cuts were certainly felt (Especially HQL’s 21% dividend cut. Ouch!).
With March’s ending so too does the quarter, so it’s time to take stock (pun intended) of the past three months’ performance. Compared to 2018 Q4’s $2694.01, Q1’s $2674.06 quarterly total proved to be a hair worse (-0.74%) but this is mainly due to the recent dividend cuts. From year-to-year, compared to 2018 Q1’s $2421.27, Q1 2019 is up a respectable +10.44%. That’s a pretty solid annual growth, so I don’t have any complaints.
Overall, March was a less than stellar month compared to the previous two months’ performance. I look forward to April’s dividend total, and I have my fingers crossed that it will prove to be another $1K month.
Image Credit: jarmoluk (pixabay.com)
We all have our “off” month each quarter, but I must say, $711 for your worst month is pretty darn good in my book! On my worst month, I don’t even break $500 yet, lol. Still, congrats on the double digit YOY increase for the quarter! Moving in the right direction! Keep it up! 🙂
Thanks MDD! Yep, $711 isn’t that bad. Hopefully the $600s are behind me and the $700s are my new low-end range. Just keep on investing and your worst month will be in the $700s too.
Thank for your sharing report..^___^
I have question…
What do you see and choose CEF ? and Sell sotcks of CEF..
(Premium/Discount, or Yield history, or leverage?)
Thanks for your reply….
Good questions. The main reason I got into CEF/ETF stocks was because yields are generally better than that of individual company stocks, plus many pay out monthly instead of quarterly. When I do buy a CEF/ETF stock, it’s almost always at a discount, plus I like to buy older CEF/ETF stocks as they have a dividend track record that one can follow plus being older they have proven to be able to survive recessions.
Unfortunately, I was slow to realize that many of my high yield CEF/ETF stocks have a high yield because they are heavily leveraged. I have since learned to avoid highly leveraged CEF/ETF stocks, preferring leverage rates of 10% or less and avoid stocks whose dividends are partially ROC (Return of Capital). I don’t sell stocks often, and of those I have sold none have been ROC dividend stocks.
I’m sorry taht bother you..
I have one more question…about destructive ROC (dividends that using partially roc)
some says ROC part in (CEF Connect -> Distribuotions -> Distribution History)
ROC of Distribution History is destructive ROC.
one says if a CEF’s NAV plus its distribution decreases over a period, then any distribution attributed to return of capital is actually a destructive use of return of capital.
How do you know CEF use partially roc? ( changing net asset of year and nii etc…)
(Sorry about i am not good at english..)