A portfolio of stocks I've been building since September 3 is named Volio. It will eventually hold 52 dividend dogs. Volio is the fifth portfolio I've built (at a one dividend dog per-week pace) since 2014. Five portfolios = V for Volio!

Today I'm reviewing the second of four basic materials sector stocks striving to join my Volio folio. This could be the twenty-first pick for Volio!

That materials sector includes thirteen industries all related to mining, making, and delivering essential commodities. They are: agricultural inputs; aluminum; building materials; chemicals; coal; copper; industrial metals; steel; paper; silver; specialty chemicals; gold.

My subject today is a large-cap chemicals company named, Dow Inc. Their trading ticker symbol is DOW. This is my second report on Dow. I last reported on them back on November 18, 2019 for this same Volio portfolio. Time for another look.

Dow Inc is a diversified chemical manufacturing company. It is combining science and technology to develop innovative solutions that are essential to human progress.

Dow's portfolio is comprised of six global business units, organized into three operating segments: Performance Materials and Coatings, Industrial Intermediates and Infrastructure and Packaging and Specialty Plastics.

The company was formerly known as Dow Holdings Inc. Dow Inc. is based in Midland, Michigan.

I use three key data points to gauge dividend-paying equities or funds like Dow Inc:

(1) Price

(2) Dividends

(3) Returns

Besides those three, several other keys will finally unlock an equity or fund in which to invest, or not.

Those three basic keys, however, best tell whether a company has made, is making, and will make money.

DOW Price

Dow's price per share closed at $52.60 yesterday. Eleven months ago its price was $48.98. So, in the past nearly a year its price increased by $3.62, or just about 7.4%.

Assuming Dow's stock trades in the  range of $24 to $60 this next year, its recent $52.60 price could rise by $3.40 to reach $56.00 by January 22, 2021, assuming upward price momentum resumes.

DOW Dividends

Dow's latest declared quarterly dividend was $0.70 per share paid December 13th.

That $0.70 Q dividend equates to $2.80 annually and yields 5.32% based on yesterday's $52.60 closing price.

DOW Gains?

Adding the $2.80 annual estimated dividend to my $3.40 estimate of Dow Inc price upside shows a $6.20 potential gross gain, per share, which will be reduced by any costs to trade these shares.

As for costs, if we put a little under $1,000.00 today in Dow Inc at its recent $52.60 price, would buy 19 shares of DOW.

A $10 broker fee paid half at purchase and half at sale could cost us about $0.53 per share.

Subtract that $0.53 brokerage cost from the estimated $6.20 gross estimated gain per share leaves a net gain of $5.67 X 19 shares = $107.73 or a 10.75% net gain on a $999.40 investment.

Therefore, Dow Inc, whose trading ticker symbol is DOW shows a possible 10.75% net gain including a 5.32% dividend yield. It could be more, it could be less.

The above speculation is based on past year performance. The actual results remain to be seen to learn if Dow Inc, is worth your time and money.