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Dividend King of the Week [GRC][2]

This week will count as the third of three ‘off’ weeks intended to restore the $250+ per week pace of investment due to the acquisition of SJW. However, there is over $250 ($520.59 to be exact) of uninvested income in the account and I am going to deploy it.

This week, five of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: FMCB, GRC, MDT, PPG, and SJW.

TickerAccount Value
FMCB3,225.00
GRC1,035.09
MDT1,739.64
PPG2,571.27
SJW1,093.64

The lowest amount belongs to GRC. Not coincidentally, there is a sector imbalance in the portfolio and the only sector eligible for additional investment is Industrials, the sector to which GRC belongs. GRC last traded at $33.39. Therefore, being careful not to go over the $520.59 available, I will acquire 15 shares of GRC on Monday. Below, is the purchase history and average cost calculation.

Performance Update [2]

Royal Dividends started its first position on 2022-07-18. The Portfolio for the Ages finally turned positive on 2023-01-11, showing a return of 0.9%. Since then, the broader market has moved up and the portfolio right along with it.

But today the portfolio’s total return reached a new all-time high. Let’s take a closer look.

Dividend King of the Week [GRC]

Ordinarily, this would have been the third of three consecutive ‘off’ weeks intended to restore the $250+ per week pace of investment. The ‘off’ weeks became necessary with the creation of a $1,000 position in SJW Group on April 15th. However, my account is being transitioned from TD Ameritrade’s platform to that of Charles Schwab next weekend. The account will not be accessible during that time. So, instead, I am letting next weekend be the third and final ‘off’ week.

This week, four of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top 10: FMCB, PPG, SJW, and TGT.

TickerAccount Value
FMCB3,033.00
PPG2,525.48
SJW1,055.07
TGT1,580.40

But guess what? None of the above matters because it is time to add a new position to the Portfolio for the Ages!

Selling a Covered Call [LEG]

Once the market order to sell my shares of MMM executes, I will deploy those proceeds to purchase 256 additional shares of LEG via a limit order for no more than $13.95 per share. Any shortfall of the MMM sale proceeds will easily be covered by the $148.09 in uninvested income in the portfolio. The purchase of 256 shares will bring the LEG position total to 300 shares – the perfect amount required for selling 3 covered call contracts:

Selling to Open: 3 December 20, 2024 $15.00 Call Options [Symbol: LEG241220C15]

Limit Order Price:  Credit of $1.50 per share

Closing a Position [MMM]

MMM’s stated intention of reducing their dividend to approximately 40% of adjusted free cash flow means they will no longer be a Dividend King and no longer qualify for inclusion in the Royal Dividends Empire (please see the related 2024-05-02 post)1. The position can be closed out for a small gain of approximately 3%. I will summarize the performance after the sale, in a separate post.

I am submitting a market order to sell all 36 shares of MMM. The proceeds should be approximately $3,500.00. The cash will be used to make another purchase. Stay tuned for my next post.

  1. Sure Dividend has independently reached the same conclusion in removing MMM from their list of Dividend Kings. ↩︎

Abdication [MMM]

Two days ago, I was preoccupied with Leggett & Platt’s decision to reduce its dividend 89%, from $0.46 per quarter to a nominal $0.05 per quarter, thereby ending its 52-year streak of annual increases and its reign as a Dividend King. I was distraught and angry. Perhaps more than usual. Then circa 1:00am last night, perusing my own personal echo chamber of news headlines, I learned that ANOTHER Dividend King had announced plans to cut and run. The 2024Q2 dividend won’t be declared until May. It will be subject to board approval, but I’m calling it now.1

Put a Post-it note on the fridge for all to see: 3M Company will be abdicating the throne!

No Purchase This Week [22]

This week is the second of three consecutive ‘off’ weeks intended to restore the $250+ per week pace of investment. Read on to find out which position would have been most worthy of new money.

This week, five of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: BKH, FMCB, MDT, PPG, and SJW.

TickerAccount Value
BKH2,746.86
FMCB2,970.75
MDT1,674.54
PPG2,473.04
SJW1,016.50

Once again, there is no surprise here, the lowest amount belongs to SJW and there is nothing that would preclude additional investment into that position, other than that of it being an off week. SJW announced earnings on Friday and the stock sold off enough to negate the gains over the previous four days. Why?

No Purchase This Week [21]

This week is the first of three consecutive ‘off’ weeks intended to restore the $250+ per week pace of investment. Read on to find out which position would have been most worthy of new money.

This week, four of the portfolio holdings ranked in the Top Ten: FMCB, PII, PPG, and SJW.

TickerAccount Value
FMCB2,949.06
PII1,660.41
PPG2,487.10
SJW1,031.13

No surprise here, the lowest amount belongs to SJW and there is nothing that would preclude additional investment into that position, other than that of it being an off week. In fact, when I resume the $250 weekly installment, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if SJW is the recipient for a few weeks.

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