Recent Buy, July 2018

Reunion Gremlin here to talk about a recent buy.  Over the weekend was family reunion time, which is always fun and exciting.  Sure it requires a good bit of driving, but its important to see people you care about - even more so when they are scattered about the globe.  Before we left on this journey I added to an existing stock position.  This was partly fueled by the merger of Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS - formerly) with Keurig to form Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP).  I will continue to hold my new shares of KDP, I do think there is value in the combined company.  Now to the proceeds, what did I buy with them?

Last week, I added to an existing position by purchasing shares of Kraft Heinz Corp. (KHC) in my taxable account.  I bought 17 shares, with a total cost of $1,087.81 ($63.58 / share, plus commission).  The current yield is 3.88%. 

This purchase nicely rounds out this position, and is in addition to KHC shares I hold in my Roth account.  I am not going to rehash the fundamentals of this stock as it is an existing position.  However, it is in an industry that will always be in demand - food.  Sure they are a little bit of an aged giant, but they have the ability to add newer products and acquire new brands.  I suspect that KHC, and its competitors, will continue to gobble up smaller / healthier products until each has its own respectable portfolio of these items.  Each added product might not move the needle on its own, but collectively I suspect companies will be seeing ever higher profits in the long run as trends continue.

This purchase will add $42.5 to my forward 12 month dividend income.

I will update my portfolio page at the end of the month.

What do you think of KHC? 

- Gremlin
- Long KHC and KDP

June Review / July Preview, 2018

Beach Bod Gremlin here to talk about June and look towards July.  June in someways was, thankfully, a lazy month with a few plan-less weekends and only 1 trip (to a wedding).  It was nice to slow down a little and enjoy some quiet time.  The baby continues to grow rapidly, and he will soon be mostly mobile - a scary thought for the uninitiated.  Meanwhile the World Cup marches on, and it has been full of some awesome upsets.  Its great to watch new teams win, makes the whole thing more exciting when none of your teams remain.

July should an interesting month.  We have the 4th of July, a family reunion, and a week of dog sitting in the cards.  Sadly, it won't out perform June in dividends...

June:

This month I made no new stock purchases.

Last month I brought in a total of $384.54 in dividends ($157.37 taxable, $84.31 Roth, and $142.85 IRA).  This is an increase from last year ($298.63 total) by 28.7%. This is my biggest month ever, just edging out last March.

In terms of dividend increases, I realized* 5 raises from Pepsico (PEP), Sonoco (SON), Unilever (UL), Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), and Exxon Mobil (XOM).  The increases range from 5% to about 15% (mostly around 5-7%).  I have now realized 32 raises thus far this year.

Next month I will realize two raises from Realty Income (O) and Leggett & Platt (LEG).  The increases are 0.2% to about 5%, respectively.

* I only count increases when realized, because until that money is delivered any statements or declarations are simply conjecture.

July:

The mortgage continues, so at least part of our 'rent' counts towards our house. Our debts currently outstrip our assets (I choose not to count the house as an asset).  Outside of our house, we still have very low interest auto debt (1.9 and 1.5% for our cars).  Both my car and house are receiving slightly out-sized payments monthly.  We are effectively eliminating debt, while still building and assets.  Even on just one income (for now).

July has a small family reunion, which should be an interesting time, otherwise I am hoping for a little bit of boredom - its nice to unwind sometimes.

My next buy will occur after the closure of the Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS ) - Keurig / Green Mountain merger - July 5th - which is nice.

Next month should produce around $82 in dividends, which is a 12% YOY increase.

My portfolio page is currently up to date.

Hope everyone has a great June.
- Dividend Gremlin
- Long all stock tickers mentioned