Investing in dividend stocks can be a great way to grow your portfolio even if you are worried about whether your investments themselves will rise in value. The recurring income can help boost your savings and provide you with more money to invest in other stocks. You can even use dividend income to help pay bills or cover expenses. The one downside is that many dividend stocks don't pay on a monthly basis. However, by holding multiple income investments, you can ensure that you're collecting dividends every month.
Three stocks with different payment schedules that could make for attractive options for income investors include Healthpeak Properties (DOC -2.28%), TC Energy (TRP -0.75%), and Western Union (WU -4.23%). Not only can they diversify your portfolio, but they all pay you more than the 1.3% yield you'll get with the average stock in the S&P 500. Here's how you can earn $100 every month from each one of these investments.
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1. Healthpeak Properties
Real estate investment trust (REIT) Healthpeak Properties can provide investors with a relatively safe way to collect income. The company's portfolio of healthcare assets, which includes retirement care communities and medical offices, allows investors to benefit from some stable tenants. And as the company adds to its portfolio, there is potential for more dividend income in the future; REITs need to pay out at least 90% of their profits back out to shareholders.
For the period ending June 30, Healthpeak reported adjusted and diluted funds from operations (FFO) of $0.40 -- identical to the same period last year. And for the full year, it projects adjusted diluted FFO to be within a range of $1.55 to $1.61. FFO is what REITs use to evaluate their financial performance; it is often a better indicator than net income, which includes noncash expenditures such as amortization and depreciation.
The company's $0.30 quarterly payout is well supported by its recent results. Annually, at $1.20, the dividend would be 77% of the $1.55 in adjusted profit (the low end of the guidance) that Healthpeak is forecasting this year. The healthcare stock makes dividend payments typically every February (this year it was early March), May, August, and November. And with a yield of 3.4%, investing $11,765 would be enough to collect $100 for each one of those quarterly payments.
2. TC Energy
TC Energy is in the energy infrastructure business and is safer than your average oil and gas stock. Over the past four years, its profit margin has been 23% or better, and annually, sales have consistently been around 13 billion Canadian dollars.
In the company's most recent results, which TC Energy announced on July 29, it said it was advancing on a CA$21 billion capital program to pursue more infrastructure opportunities. And while such a large outlay of cash may be a concern for income investors, the company says that the projects are all "underpinned by long-term contracts and/or regulated business models."
All this could lead to some great long-term results to pad its already strong numbers. In the second quarter, TC Energy reported earnings per share of CA$1 for the period ending June 30, which is above its quarterly dividend payments of CA$0.87. Management expects to be able to continue raising its dividend payments by 5% to 7% thanks to growth opportunities. Over the past two decades, the company has raised its dividend by a compounded annual growth rate of 7%.
TC Energy stock yields just over 6%, and an investment of $6,590 would be enough for it to generate $100 every time it pays you a dividend -- which is every January, April, October, and July. It can be a solid investment if you're looking for exposure to oil and gas without wanting to take on too much risk.
3. Western Union
Financial services company Western Union is benefiting from growth in digital money transfers, which in its second-quarter results (also for the three-month period ending June 30) hit record highs of $265 million. Revenue of $1.3 billion during the period rose 16% from the same period last year. Net income of $223 million also rose by 37%.
The company will get an influx of cash from its announced upcoming sale of Western Union Business Solutions (which helps businesses manage foreign exchange and improve their bottom lines) to Goldfinch Partners and The Baupost Group for $910 million in cash. The company says it may use the proceeds of the sale for share repurchases, dividends, or to pursue growth opportunities -- including acquisitions.
Management forecasts that EPS for 2021 will be between $1.82 and $1.92. The low end of that range would still be nearly twice as high as its annual dividend of $0.94. Its yield of 4.4% could get higher if the company hikes the payouts as a result of its divestment. But for now, you would need to invest $9,195 in the stock to collect a $100 dividend every March, June, September, and December.
