Finance: Dividend paying stocks and how my portfolio is holding up.

[blackbyrd2]

Every stock I own pays a dividend, which varies between 3% and as much as 12% on my cost. (One of the 12% dividends is currently yielding just over 8% on current cost due to price appreciation.)

I have dropped a position in DGI, added some Intel (INTC) and reduced my position in TNH, but generally I have been buying steadily, and balancing the amounts spent on each holding. FPL is currently overbought, due to dropping prices, and both SYY and O are still short of my interim balance cost.

Some of my stocks are currently in the red, with the major downward moves in January, but except for FPL, which is deeply down (nearly 10%) due to Gov Crists political maneuverings, and AEE which has been down (about 4%) for several months, most of these are less than 1%. (In fact, only two other stocks (TEI and TNH) are currently in the red, but others have been hovering near the line.)

Overall, as of this morning (after approx 4 weeks of 'bad' news in the market, as it corrects and shows a lack of confidence in the recovery process) my dividends are currently yielding 7% on my cost, and 6.5% on current price. Said current price is up approx 7.5% as of today (which is up slightly from yesterdays apparent bottom of 6.5%.

It's been 11 months since I started, and I am pleased with the progress so far. While it lacks the drama associated with trading, it's quite nice to see some picks appreciating as much as 60% in value. Since I don't plan on doing any selling anytime soon, if ever, this merely provides me a buffer of sorts in case of nuclear holocaust or aliens landing, although in either case, I doubt if my share prices are going to be my top concern.

Stocks I wouldn't buy today;
AEE (Ameren)
VZ (Verizon)
T (AT&T)
Merely because their prices are sluggish, and have been so. Actually, their dividends have been excellent. (All are currently paying over 6%, and their history has been excellent as regards payment of dividends, and increases in same.)
I'm not selling, because I expect each of these companies to continue to provide excellent returns on cost, and I expect them to stay in business and remain profitable for at least the remainder of my investing life.

Stocks I wish I'd bought more of at the time;
EXLP, CPNO, MWE, CVX, ADP
The last two have provided small dividends, but the security they give me is excellent. CVX will always appreciate in value until someone comes up with a workable alternative to fossil fuels. ADP runs on practically zero debt, has little in the way of capital expenses, and has done well, even when unemployment has decimated their income.
The first three are all MLPs dealing in natural gas or related services, and have provided solid, huge dividends. I may change my tune after they get their K-1's to me for tax season, and I find out out much hassle this is going to be. For now though, I'm just as happy as a clam with their performance.


Not cross posting, because it's huge and boring.