Hello and welcome to another journal entry into my dividend investing journey. March 2021 is the fourth month into my dividend investing marathon and things are looking up–literally–my investments are up, the portfolio value is up, and dividend income is higher. So, let’s dive into the specifics.

Dividend Portfolio Value

My investment plan is not the most glamorous out there. I have no money sitting in a bank account that I can invest and forget. So, my investment journey takes small steps at CAD$100 per month. However, I have already invested $600 into the portfolio. And…and… $1.89 of dividends earned were reinvested. This is good news since it’s not money out of my pocket. And for the rest of time, I will earn dividends on this re-investment. Compound investing is a key for people starting with little investments.

So, how much have my investments grown over time? From December 2020 until March 2021, my $600 investment has grown by $112 to $714, representing a growth rate of 18.6%. This is purely the recovery of companies from the COVID-19 setback from last year. Also, as a dividend investor, this metric barely matters to me.

Canadian Dividend Portfolio Update: March 2021

By end of February 2021, I had five positions in dividend-paying companies. By end of March 2021, I hold seven positions in such companies. So, while I’m targeting high dividend yields, I’m also focusing on diversification. Also, I haven’t had the chance to buy into the companies I was already holding as their prices did climb up which means I would have had to increase my average cost per share if I did invest.

Below is a summary of my investment portfolio at cost so far;

Company	Ticker	No. of Shares	Purchase Price	Total Value at Cost
Keyera Corp.	KEY	4	$22.89	$91.56
Manulife Financial Corp.	MFC	4	$23.12	$92.48
Pembina Pipeline Corp.	PPL	3	$30.71	$92.13
Shaw Communications	SJR-B	4	$22.10	$88.40
Canadian Utilities	CU	3	$31.72	$95.16
Enbridge Inc.	ENB	2	$45.31	$90.62
North-West Health Prop REIT	NWH.UN	1	$13.04	$13.04
Total				$563.39

I have another $38.50 invested in two other non-dividend companies–Supreme Cannabis Company (FIRE.TO) and Fission Uranium Corp. (FCU.TO). These investments are just for fun. Going to hold them for the long run and see what happens.

Dividend Income Update: March 2021

March marks the first quarter for many companies that pay dividends on a quarterly basis. Until March 2021, I’ve only earned monthly dividends. However, in March 2021, I earned my first quarterly dividend from Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC.TO).

Unfortunately, I missed the quarterly dividend from Canadian Utilities (CU.TO) by 1 day! This is why we need to time our investments better.

Company	Dividend Frequency	Dividend Per Share	Jan 21 Dividends	Feb 21 Dividends	Mar 21 Dividends	Total Dividends
Keyera Corp.	Monthly	$0.1600	$0.64	$0.64	$0.64	$1.92
Manulife Fin. Corp.	Quarterly	$0.2800	$0.00	$0.00	$1.12	$1.12
Pembina Pipeline	Monthly	$0.2100	$0.63	$0.63	$0.63	$1.89
Shaw Comm.	Monthly	$0.0985	$0.40	$0.40	$0.40	$1.94
Canadian Ut.	Quarterly	$0.4398	–	–	–	–
Enbridge Inc.	Quarterly	$0.8350	–	–	–	–
North-West REIT	Monthly	$0.0667	–	–	–	–
Total			$1.664	$1.667	$2.790	$6.124

A little over $6 in four months for an investment of $600 is not too bad. This represents an annualized dividend yield of 6.7% which is quite good.

Keyera Corporation was the highest dividend-yielding investment for me with an 8.4% return. Second in line was Pembina Pipeline with an 8.21% annualized return. These magical yields were grounded by a 5.35% return from Shaw Communications and a 4.84% yield from Manulife Financial Corporation.

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Now, let’s take a look at my investment analysis of the two new companies I added to my portfolio in March 2021.

Enbridge Inc. (ENB.TO)

Enbridge Inc. is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America with a market capitalization of over $90 billion. The company, founded in 1949, now operates in five segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution and Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. It employs over 11,000 people. It is truly a giant company in the energy sector in North America.

Enbridge Inc. has a massive reputation when it comes to dividend payouts among Canadian investors. The stock price is relatively down right now from its pre-pandemic era. This makes it an attractive investment opportunity for growth in value as well as securing a dividend yield of around 7%. Even more impressive is their dividend growth streak, as displayed proudly on their website.

Despite the global energy sector getting hit hard due to COVID-19, Enbridge saw a mild growth in EBITDA in 2020 compared to 2019. Also, the company has planned on further investing in expanding its infrastructure in 2021 and on. The company still forecasts approximately 4% year-on-year growth for the company and around 3% growth in dividend per share.

With the demand for crude oil slowly picking up around the world, Enbridge Inc. is very well positioned for a brighter future.

North-West Healthcare Properties REIT (NWH.UN)

North-West Healthcare Properties is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and one of the top picks by all dividend investors. REITs in general are a very lucrative investment opportunity since these companies are expected to pay out a minimum of 90% of their earnings as dividends. This is a qualification requirement for a company to be classified as a REIT.

North-West Healthcare Properties REIT in specific is a company that focuses on providing high-quality properties for healthcare operations. The REIT’s portfolio of medical office buildings, clinics, and hospitals is characterized by long-term indexed leases and stable occupancies. The company has also expanded into offshore markets such as Germany, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

When it comes to dividend distributions, North-West Healthcare Properties REIT is one of the highest payers with over $2 billion market capitalization as well. At the current market price of around $12, the company’s dividend return is around 6%.

So, this is a full run-down of my portfolio for the month and my dividend investing journey so far. If you do have any questions about the portfolio or investing in general, make sure to drop a comment below.

See you in the next month’s update. Happy investing!