Risk Disclaimer

No one at Get Irked is a professional financial adviser. All information provided on this website is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All investments involve risk, all equities could lose value, and investors are responsible for their own choices. Consult with your own financial adviser to see if any of these positions and strategies fit your risk profile and long-term financial goals.

Pandemic Portfolio: Update #10

This is an update to a series. See Starting a Portfolio from Scratch to learn how it started.

Buying the Dips…

Over the past two weeks, the market sold off in a few key areas which offered me the opportunity to add to several of my positions including Crown Castle (CCI), Digital Realty Trust (DLR), and Barrick Gold (GOLD). In addition, quite a few of the portfolio’s positions paid out their quarterly dividends.

Let’s take a look at the moves that happened since the last update…

Barrick Gold (GOLD): Added to Position

Current Price: $23.27
Per-Share Cost: $25.01 (-0.636% from last update)
Profit/Loss: -6.95%
Allocation: 3.101%*
Next Buy Target: $21.80

The precious metal continued to sell off as the holiday season approached, so I added a very small amount to my Barrick Gold (GOLD) position at $22.76 when it sold off on Monday, December 14.

The purchase only lowered my per-share cost by -0.636% from $25.17 to $25.01 but it enabled me to increase my allocation slightly in a company paying $0.36 per share in annual dividends a yield of 1.58%. From here my next price target to add more is $21.80.

GOLD closed this week at $23.27, up +2.24% from where I added Monday.

Costco (COST): Special Dividend

Current Price: $367.00
Per-Share Cost: $320.85 (-3.022% from last update)
Profit/Loss: +14.38%
Allocation: 5.448%*
Next Buy Target: $336.90

Costco (COST) paid out its special dividend of $10/share on Friday, Dec 11. Unfortunately, special dividends do not meet eligibility for Dividend Reinvestment Programs (DRiPs) at my brokerage which means no increased allocation for this position.

However, the $10 per share did pull a bit of capital out of the position, reducing my per-share cost -3.022% from $330.85 to $320.85. From here, my next buy price target is $336.90, right above the 200-Day Simple Moving Average (SMA).

Crown Castle (CCI): Added to Position

Current Price: $153.81
Per-Share Cost: $161.28 (-0.751% from last update)
Profit/Loss: -4.63%
Allocation: 4.576%*
Next Buy Target: $150.70

I added to my Crown Castle Incorporated (CCI) position when tech started to sell off on Monday, December 14 with a buy at $155.14. With its $5.32 annual dividend payout, CCI’s yield was 3.43% at that price.

The order lowered my per-share cost -0.751% from $162.50 to $161.28. From here, my next buy target is $150.70, above a past point of support.

CCI closed the week out at $153.81, down -0.86% from where I added Monday.

Digital Realty Trust (DLR): Added to Position

Current Price: $134.02
Per-Share Cost: $135.57 (-1.152% from last update)
Profit/Loss: -1.14%
Allocation: 6.645%*
Next Buy Target: $123.70

I added to Digital Realty Trust (DLR) when the market started to sell off technology on Wednesday, December 9 with an order that filled at $130.84 and again on Tuesday, December 15 at $127.57 for an average price of $129.21. At that average, DLR’s yearly dividend of $4.48 brought an annual yield 3.46%, a nice return for the long-term.

The orders reduced my per-share cost -1.15% from $137.15 to $135.57. From here, I’m looking to add more if DLR dips near $123.70, a previous support.

DLR closed this week at $134.02, up +3.72% from my average buying price.

Microsoft (MSFT): Dividend Reinvestment

Current Price: $218.59
Per-Share Cost: $187.04 (-0.26% from last update)
Profit/Loss: +16.87%
Allocation: 3.253%*
Next Buy Target: $201.90

Microsoft (MSFT) paid out its quarterly dividend on December 10, 2020. Annually, MSFT pays shareholders $2.24 per share or a yield of 1.06% at its closing price of $211.42.

The dividend lowered my per-share cost by -0.26% from $187.53 to $187.04. Currently, my next buy price target for Microsoft is $201.90, near its low from a recent selloff in the past few months.

Pepsico (PEP): Strategy Update

Current Price: $146.93
Per-Share Cost: $129.41 (Unchanged from last update)
Profit/Loss: +13.54%
Allocation: 2.928%*
Next Buy Target: $131.90

Pepsico (PEP) continues to hold up strong, even in the midst of a great deal of volatility. That being said, the stock has also been trading in a range between the high $120s and $150 for months now. Rather than try and chase it up from my current per-share cost, I have set a buy target slightly above my per-share cost at a point of support found during PEP’s last selloff.

UnitedHealth (UNH): Dividend Reinvestment

Current Price: $338.38
Per-Share Cost: $279.01 (-0.364% from last update)
Profit/Loss: +21.28%
Allocation: 1.690%*
Next Buy Target: $303.90

UnitedHealth (UNH) paid out its dividend on December 16, an annual $5/share paid out on a quarterly basis equating to a yearly yield of 1.47% at its $339.74 closing price on the 16th.

The dividend lowered my per-share cost -0.364% from $280.03 to $279.01; nothing to write home about but better than a sharp stick in the eye. I’ve raised my price target slightly in order to add more UNH to my portfolio if it drops to $303.90.