Most dividend stocks trading in the US pay dividends every quarter. A few pay dividends semi-annually, while a very small minority (mostly ADR's) pay dividends once a year.
From a dividend investment standpoint, I have always focused on strong fundamentals,
strong competitive advantages, potential for earnings and dividend growth, and adequate valuation. You could read more about my entry criteria
in this article. I never really focused on the timing of the dividend cashflows. As it stands out, it could be beneficial to own stocks that pay dividends monthly.
The perfect monthly dividend stock is Realty Income (
O) – The monthly dividend company. Although the company is trading at a rich valuation, I would consider adding to my position in the stock on dips below $29. Check
my analysis of this REIT.
The first benefit would be that it would make budgeting for expenses much easier. Investors would not have to wait for three months before obtaining their distribution from a stock, only to split them in three and then allocate an equal portion to spend each month. Knowing that the dividend income is coming once a month , would make life easier for retirees
living off dividends.
The second benefit of monthly dividend stocks
is compounding. By reinvesting dividends, investors use the power of compounding to increase their wealth. By increasing the frequency of compounding however, investors have a higher chance of increasing their net worth.
The main disadvantage of monthly dividend stocks is that investors are limiting themselves to a very small universe of stocks. As a result it would be difficult to find a company that is a good fit in a dividend retirement portfolio. Basically I am looking for a company with a stable dividend payment that is also growing. Most monthly dividend stocks I found were funds which
paid fluctuating distributions.