Trades

There are six Dividend Kings in the Utility sector as of the time of this writing. On the whole, the Utilities are a bit overpriced. This is partly due to the fact that they are Dividend Kings, which tend to trade at a premium to their fair value. The other reason is that with inflation at its highest level in 40 years, the markets have moved towards defensive and inflation-protected sectors such as Consumer Staples, Health Care and Utilities.

When money is tight, people can put off discretionary items such as a new car, new furniture, or the latest iPhone. However, groceries, medical care, heat, and electricity are essential. Thus, utilities have very reliable revenue streams, and this allows them to pay consistent dividends. It is no surprise then, that we have six utilities among the 45 Dividend Kings. But only one is attractively priced right now: Black Hills Corporation [BKH].

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Dividend King of the Week [BKH]Read More »

My market order to purchase 10 shares of FRT went through at market open today for the price of $102.83. I updated the portfolio which includes a summary by sector. Obviously, these exhibits will have more meaning as the portfolio grows. These exhibits will be updated periodically.

This week’s selection is the only Dividend King representing the Real Estate sector. In fact, it is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). If you have ever thought owning real estate might be a good investment but either a) don’t have the assets to acquire another property, or b) aren’t interested in the management of rentals, REITs are a great way to get in on the action. Congress legislated REITs into existence in 1960. REITs allow investors like you and I to own shares in commercial real estate portfolios – portfolios containing buildings and properties we wouldn’t be allowed to walk into, let alone acquire.

There are private REITs, public non-listed REITs, and public exchange-listed REITs. Among the last category, we have equity REITs, mortgage REITs, and equity/mortgage hybrid REITs. Equity trusts own and manage income-producing real estate. Mortgage trusts borrow money on a low rate, short-term basis and turn around and lend that money to real estate owners on a high(er) rate, long-term basis. They expect to profit from the interest rate spread and thus are highly sensitive to interest rates. Hybrids do a little of both. Why do we care?

Aside from other requirements, a REIT must pay out at least 90% of its taxable income in the form of dividends. That’s right, if they make money, they have to pass on nearly all of it to the shareholders. And Federal Realty Investment Trust has been doing it since the beginning.

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Dividend King of the Week [FRT]Read More »

My limit order to purchase 1 share of FMCB for $925.00 went through at market open today. Here is a glimpse of the portfolio. Obviously, this exhibit will have more meaning as the portfolio grows. Ditto for the summary by sector that I have added on the same page. I will update these Dividend King exhibits as needed. In the meantime, enjoy the rock steady price action of FMCB.

I have set up an account with TD Ameritrade for the purpose of holding this portfolio of stocks. My entry into a new position will be $1,000. Of course, this amount is perfectly scalable so long as one builds evenly. After a few weeks we want to have an equally weighted portfolio of 10 or 11 stocks. In case you couldn’t guess from the title of this post, the first Dividend King for this portfolio will be Farmers & Merchants Bancorp [FMCB].

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